Clouded
by AnimalCookie
Summary: When Sonny loses her memory after an on-stage accident, Chad is the only person she can remember. Can Chad be trusted with Sonny's trust? Channy. Rated T for safety
1. Watch Out!

**Hello again! Sorry it's been a while since my last story, I've been gone for a couple weeks. I hope you all like this one, I decided to take a stab at a Channy story. Enjoy!!!  
*I don't own SWAC* **

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"Man, that party was crazy last night," Derek, one of the _So Random_ lighting technicians yawned as he walked onto the set with his fellow crewmate. "I think I only got two hours of sleep last night. Marshall sure knows how to throw a crew party. I am exhausted though. Let's hope it's a short rehearsal today."

"Everyone to the stage," Marshall called over his megaphone. "Okay, everyone, this is the final rehearsal before filming tomorrow. Let's get this right. Lights!" Derek, standing at the controls, positioned the lights to center stage and onto Sonny, who was lying on the ground as the victim of a murder scene. As Nico and Grady came out in police uniforms, eating doughnuts and performing their lines, the lights were moved around to follow them. Marshall stifled his laughter as Sonny stood up and began wandering around stage and the boys recklessly tried to figure out where she went to. Once the last minutes of the sketch ended with Grady and Nico "killing" Sonny again, Marshall called the sketch to an end. Sonny stood up and dusted herself off.

"Great job, guys," Sonny smiled. "Only tomorrow, can you keep a little more distance between the shovel and my head? I could practically feel the metal scrape my face."

"All right, everyone, go get ready for the next sketch. Derek, pull the lights back," Marshall ordered.

Derek yawned and looked down at the control board. His yawn cause tears and his tears caused partial blindness. But he felt comfortable with the switchboard and pressed a few buttons before rubbing the tears away. His vision came back just in time to watch his mistake.

"Sonny, watch out!" Marshall shouted – his voice laced with panic and fear. A sickening crash followed by two sequential thuds was heard from everyone on set. Derek was jolted awake and ran to the stage. "Someone, call 911," Marshall begged. Tawni, surprisingly, was the first to whip out her cell phone and call for help. Marshall elevated Sonny's head using one of his hands and checked her pulse with the other. "She's bleeding," he pulled the one hand out, "but she has a pulse. Tawni! Where are the EMT's?"

"They're on their way, Marshall," Tawni assured.

Nico held one of Sonny's hands, Grady went to fetch a towel to stop the bleeding, and Zora ran out front to direct the paramedics to Sonny. Derek walked around Sonny and picked up the heavy, metal-coated stage light from the ground and looked towards the ceiling, hoping the cord had been detached. That way, it would not have been his fault. Unfortunately, the cord was perfectly aligned – he had made it drop. He looked at the metal and saw a small patch of blood, and he knew it was Sonny's.

"Marshall…I," Derek stammered.

"Not now, Derek. We have bigger problems," Marshall scowled.

Twenty minutes later, Zora ran in with the paramedics who quickly took over the situation. Before Marshall truly had time to register what was going on, the paramedics had her strapped to a stretcher and in the ambulance, racing off to the hospital.

"Kids, if any of you want to come, I'll drive," Marshall announced. Tawni grabbed the passenger seat next to Marshall, Grady and Nico both had backseat window seats, and Zora was squished between the two boys. "She'll be all right," Marshall tried to comfort the adolescents. Stress filled the car with a thick blanket of heat and Marshall could tell even Tawni was terrified. He reached over and held her hand for comfort as she stared out the window.

***

The cast all sat in Sonny's large hospital room waiting for her to awake. It was now going on eleven o' clock. Connie Monroe, Sonny's mom, had excused herself from an important business meeting, and was sitting at her sleeping daughter's side. Sonny had yet to open her eyes since the accident that afternoon, but all of the doctors assured them she would wake up within the next twenty-four hours.

"Marshall, how did this happen?" Connie finally asked, breaking a never-ending silence.

"It was an accident, Connie. It truly was. A wrong switch was hit, and the light just fell down. There was not preventing it," Marshall declared. He was unsure of how he wanted to handle Derek, but in the meantime, he assumed it was a perfect accident. Marshall meandered to the side of Sonny's bed opposite of her mother. "I just wish she would wake up and let us know she's okay."

As if on cue, Sonny opened her eyes and looked around. She tried to sort things out in her head, but all she could figure out was that she was in a big, white room surrounded by strangers.

"Sonny, baby, are you all right?" Mrs. Monroe leaned forward and kissed her daughter's head. Sonny cringed under the woman's lips. The woman acted as if she knew her, but Sonny felt no comfort from the woman's actions.

"Sonny, I am so sorry. I have no idea how it happened, but I promise it won't happen again," Marshall laid his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered under his touch. Her head pounded with pain and this man had somewhat admitted to being the cause of her distress.

"I want a doctor," Sonny whispered. She pressed the 'Help' button twice to call for help. She did not like being around these strangers. A doctor rushed in and smiled when he saw she was awake again.

"Ah, Miss Monroe, you've had quite the day, haven't you? How are you feeling?" the doctor stood at the end of her bed and placed his hand on her foot.

Sonny squirmed under the hands of three different people, "I want everyone out," she pleaded. "My head hurts and I don't know why so many strangers are allowed in my hospital room."

"Strangers?" Marshall and Connie blurted out simultaneously.

"I'm sorry," the doctor turned to everyone, "but I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside. Apparently there are more tests to be run. I need you all to leave."

Sonny noticed the hurt in the woman's eyes, but it hardly affected her. She watched the tall, skinny boy lift a sleeping eleven-year-old and carry her outside. The man was saying soothing comments to the woman, but they were obviously not helping.

"Sonny, what can you tell me about what happened today?" the doctor looked slyly at her.

"Who's Sonny? That's not my name," Sonny declared. "My name is…my name is…" her mouth fell open and fear flashed through her eyes. "I don't know what my name is. I can't remember anything about me! Doctor, what's happening to me?"

"Do not worry, Miss Monroe. I believe you have come down with a standard case of amnesia. It happens all of the time. You were hit quite hard in the head this afternoon and we'll have to verify it through some tests, but I guarantee you, that is the cause of your current state of mind. Just relax for now. I will be sending some nurses in to take the tests. Don't worry; no one will enter this room if they are not medical personnel. When we do begin to reintroduce you to your friends and family, I will tell you. But for the meantime, relax and try not to think too hard about anything. Your head already hurts badly enough." The doctor began to walk towards the door scanning her chart. "Oh, you can call me Dr. Chris. Don't be afraid to page me if you need anything at all or if you begin to remember something. Now that you are awake, Sonny, I need you to stay awake. You have a really bad concussion. Would it be all right if I bring one of the hospital workers in to keep you awake? Or can you remember anyone who you'd like to stay with you?"

"One of the workers is fine. Thank you, Dr. Chris." Sonny laid her head gently against the pillow on her bed. Her head felt like someone had a crowbar and was pulling her skull apart.

***

"I think we should let her come to the studio tomorrow for filming," Nico declared.

"She can't even remember her name, what makes you think she can remember her lines?" Tawni retorted.

"No, watching us film could help her remember."

"I would be willing to bring her by if the doctor permits it," Connie whispered.

"Who is going to fill her spot? She's in almost every sketch this week," Grady remembered.

"We'll just put one of you in her place. I already have the writers re-writing everything. They should be here any minute with the updated lines," Marshall sighed. It would be a long night. He knew they would all have to go back to the studio to re-rehearse, and if they were lucky, they might be able to get a few hours rest before filming.

"But we're supposed to do 'The Check-It-Out Girls' the audience is already confused enough, after last time, about who the real Check-It-Out Girls are. I'm not doing it without Sonny," Tawni crossed her arms.

"I suppose we could take it out and save it for another night. Connie, where are you going?"

Connie stopped herself from walking away and turned around. "I figured Sonny is going to need some of her possessions to help her remember everything. I'll be back soon."

***

"I really don't want to talk with any of them," Sonny asserted. "Haven't I been through enough, Dr. Chris?"

"Sonny, the only way you're going to get better, is if you communicate with those from your past. We're hoping they'll trigger some memories. Don't worry; we're in a completely controlled environment. I won't release you to your mother until you feel completely safe with her. So would you let me bring her in?" Dr. Chris negotiated.

Sonny thought hesitantly but finally assented, giving a quick nod. Her mother walked through the door and sat down next to her daughter.

"Hello, ba..Sonny," her mother caught herself. Dr. Chris had been adamant when he told them they were to only address her as Sonny, and no other names.

"I will be with another patient, but if either of you need me, just call," Dr. Chris assured and left the room.

"Hello," Sonny stuttered. "I'm sorry, _mom_, I know it must hurt for your daughter not to remember you, but I don't. I feel nothing more towards you than I would the nurse who took my blood pressure this morning."

"It's all right, Sonny. Don't worry about it, I understand. I brought you some things," Mrs. Monroe set a bag down on the bed and slowly drew out several items. "This picture was of you and your dad when you were three. You keep this on the nightstand next to your bed. This is your teddy bear, which you've had since third grade." Sonny picked up the brown bear and felt his belly with her thumbs, but the fabric brought back no memories. "Here is your favorite shampoo, strawberry mango." Sonny took a whiff, but there were still no breakthroughs. Her mother proceeded to pull out many more items. Clothing, pictures, souvenirs, and daily household items – but still nothing.

"I'm sorry, I just can't remember anything," Sonny sighed.

"It will come, Sonny, don't worry. I'm going to let Marshall Pike and Tawni in right now. Marshall is your director and Tawni's your friend."

"Wait, director of what?"

"_So Random_. You're part of a TV show."

"_Me?_"

Mrs. Monroe nodded and opened the door, walking out and letting the two in. Everyone else was back at the studio learning their revised lines and working out the new characters, but Tawni and Marshall were hoping they could trigger something in their friend. Unfortunately, after an hour of showing her props and costumes of past sketches, Sonny's mind was still blank about who she was. When Sonny was asked if she would watch the filming that evening, she was hesitant, but knew it probably was for the best.

***

"Welcome back to _So Random_!" The speakers re-introduced the cast after a commercial break. Sonny sat in her fold-up chair which had her name on the front and _So Random's_ logo on the back. It felt strange that this was her life, but she accepted it for now.

As the show came to an end, Marshall stood from his chair, "Sonny, would you like to come up and help say goodbye?"

"No thank you, Mr. Pike. I'm going to go for a walk if you don't mind. Perhaps the building will help me," Sonny shook her head. Although Sonny did think the studios might bring something back, she highly doubted anything would. She just wanted to get away from the _So Random_ excitement. She needed peace and quiet.

"Do you want me to send someone with you so you don't get lost?"

"No, I think I can find my way out. Besides, I have my phone…which moos…in case anything happens."

"All right, call if you need anything," Marshall looked down at his young star with grief.

***

Sonny walked through the studio looking at all of the different pictures and posters plastered on the wall. When she came across her picture on the wall, she stopped and stared. They were not lying, she really was part of the show – but why could she not remember it? Being a celebrity is not something you easily forget.

She heard footsteps shuffling around the corner, but before she could see who was coming at her, the large mass collided with her, causing her to tumble to the ground with a small shriek.

"Watch where you're going, Monroe," The person grunted and extended a hand to help her up.

"Excuse me?" Sonny stared at him with confusion. Hadn't he run into her? She looked at his blue eyes, blonde hair, and glistening white smile. He head tingled with slight pain as she waited for his reply.

"You're such a klutz, Monroe. No wonder you weren't in any of the sketches tonight – not that I was there, or anything," the person caught himself. "Seriously, though, why weren't you in any of the sketches?"

"I can't remember my lines."

"What? That doesn't make sense."

"I hit my head, I guess. I can't remember _anything_ – including my lines."

"Oh," the person gasped. "Are you okay?" he finally noticed the bandage she had around her head. He began to feel guilty for knocking her over, but quickly shook the feeling away.

"I know you, don't I?" Sonny finally understood her sensation of his presence. "Wait for it…Chad! You're Chad Dylan Cooper!"

"Why, yes I am," Chad popped the collar of his leather jacket. "What do you remember about us, uh…me?"

"I remember getting mad at you – a lot."

"Oh," Chad looked at the ground.

"But it wasn't always a bad thing," Sonny smiled.

"Oh!"

"I remember feeling different when I was around you. Safe but defensive. Happy but infuriated! We are friends, right?"

Chad thought over her question for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. I'm going to take good care of you, Monroe."


	2. Garbage Can Memories

**Oh my goodness, I cannot believe the response the first chapter received! I don't think I've ever written a story that received that kind of feedback. You guys totally made my day! But now I feel even worse when I have to admit that I will be gone for another week. Hopefully when I return, I'll be able to get several more chapters up. Thank you all, again, so much!****  
Hope you enjoy!!! **

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"Dr. Chris," Connie whispered into the phone, "he's the only one she remembers. She may like him, but I don't. I've seen the kind of press he gets and I know the kind of boys he is. I don't like the idea of her being with him as she regains her memory."

"Mrs. Monroe," Dr. Chris responded, "there is obviously something about Chad Dylan Cooper which allows your daughter's mind to recover. Sonny really should spend time with him. If you still feel uncomfortable, though, just keep a close eye on them. Have her call you every hour or have one of her other friends tag along with them. They won't be anywhere else besides the studio anyway. They can't get into much trouble there."

"You'd think so," Connie reminisced on the stories Sonny would share with her. "All right, Dr. Chris, you win."

***

"Thank you, _mom_," Sonny smiled as her mother dropped her off at the studio.

"I'll be back after rehearsal, Sonny. Stay safe and call me if anything comes up," Mrs. Monroe requested. Sonny nodded and skipped off.

"Chad!" Sonny shouted when she caught a glimpse of his blonde hair.

"Sonny," Chad turned around. He had spent his entire Sunday coming up with ideas of how he could use Sonny's memory lapse to his advantage, but seeing her now, he decided it was not the right time to put one of the schemes into action.

"Where are you going?" Sonny finally reached him.

"Uh, to go film _Mackenzie Falls_."

"Oh, right, duh," she laughed nervously.

"Sonny!" a female screamed from ten feet away. Sonny turned around to see Tawni standing there with arms crossed. "Come on, we have rehearsal to do. So let's let Chad _leave_ so we can get going."

"Okay," Sonny looked back and forth between the two blondes. Sonny's mother had explained to her how much Tawni really did care but failed to show it. Mrs. Monroe had gone into great detail about how worried Tawni was when Sonny had her accident. "So what is on the agenda today?"

"We're coming up with new sketches for next week's show. Marshall said you could help, but your doctor said he doesn't want you in next week's show. He doesn't want your mind cluttered with lines," Tawni led Sonny into their dressing room and sat her down in her chair. "But _I_ need you to get your memory back so we can do 'The Check-It-Out' girls sketch together. So come on, come on, Sonny." Tawni bobbled Sonny's head between her hands.

"Tawni, stop!" Sonny grabbed her head in pain, but could not help but laugh at her friend's ignorance. "My memories won't come back that easily. We're just going to have to wait."

"Yeah, I don't know if your mom shared this with you or not, but I'm not really good with waiting. When Tawni wants something, she gets it."

"_So Random_ cast to the stage. _So Random _cast to the stage," a voice came over the intercom. Tawni grunted and pulled Sonny along to the stage.

"Sonny!" Marshall greeted her, "How are you feeling today? Any memories?"

"Sorry, Mr. Pike. Nothing," Sonny shrugged.

"She remembers Chad Dylan Cooper," Tawni eyed her down. Grady and Nico gasped as they joined Tawni's stare.

"All right, everyone calm down. Sonny, why don't you take a seat and we can begin discussing which sketches we'll do this week," Marshall pulled the attention towards himself. Sonny climbed into the seat with her name on it, as everyone else did the same for their respective chairs. One by one, everyone shared ideas of sketches they had created over the weekend. Sonny carefully listened to their ideas, in case anything raised a memory – but by lunchtime, nothing.

"Tawni, that sketch idea was hilarious. Where did you come up with it?" Nico praised her.

"Of course it's hilarious – I came up with it. As to where it came from, it was all from up here," she smiled pointing to herself.

"I need to use the bathroom," Sonny declared poking at her tray of "food."

"Okay?" Grady looked at her puzzled.

"Can someone tell me where it is?" she clarified.

"Oh! Down the hall, take a left, and it will be on your right."

"Thank you." Sonny sighed as she walked out of the cafeteria. All morning was spent listening to the people she was supposed to be friends with go on about a show she was supposed to be a part of. Her presence was supposed to trigger memories, but her stubborn mind wouldn't clear up. She ran both hands through her hair as she looked to the ground for answers. Suddenly, she collided with someone with a familiar thud. "Oh my gosh, Chad, I'm so sorry. I guess this time it is my fault."

"Don't worry about it, Monroe. Now we're even. Where are you going in such a rush anyway?" Chad caught her with his hands before either of them hit the ground.

"I told them I was going to the bathroom, but I just needed some space."

"Still no memories?"

Sonny shook her head. "What if they never return? What if I'll never be who I was before?"

"Trust me, Sonny, you're not that different right now – just a few less memories. As for regaining your memories, they'll come back. Come on, I want to show you something," Chad grabbed her hand and began pulling her past the bathrooms.

"Um, I think I need to get back to them soon. I don't want them to worry about me."

"Don't worry, I'll have you back in the amount of time it takes a girl to use the bathroom. Come on."

"Chad, where are you taking me?" Sonny demanded as she was pulled out the door.

"You'll see."

"I'm beginning to see why you infuriate me so much."

"Here we are!"

"Oh, Chad, it's…a garbage can?" Sonny looked at him strangely. "Why did you bring me to a garbage can?"

"You don't remember?" Chad faked a hurt look across his face.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Chad. Seriously, why are we here?"

"You said you needed some memories. Now you'll always have this. The time Chad Dylan Cooper took you behind the garbage can. It's your first new memory."

Sonny rolled her eyes laughing, "Chad, you're so weird."

Chad's watch began beeping. "I have to get back to filming. Here, I'll take you back to the cafeteria. They walked back inside the building together and he dropped her off at the cafeteria doors.

"Thank you, Chad." Sonny hugged him softly and began to walk away, waving at him over her shoulder.

"Anytime, Monroe," he replied to himself.

"What are you doing?" Portlyn nudged him from behind. She had been in the bathroom and caught sight of the two walking down the hallway upon her exit. "Where is this coming from?"

"Portlyn, chill. I've got this whole thing under control," Chad looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was nearby. "Sonny only remembers me right now, and she needs me. I'll be there for her, but once she gets her memory back," Chad pulled the pen out of his shirt pocket and pointed to the top of it, "I've got the whole thing on tape. Any memories she gets she'll tell me. There's bound to be something I can hold against her once she's herself."

Portlyn smiled maniacally, "Oh that makes more sense. You were scaring me, Chad. Come on, we're late for filming." Chad looked down at the camera pen in his hand. He sighed, turned it off, and placed it back in his shirt pocket.

***

"Hello, Sonny," her mom smiled as Sonny entered the car. "How was your day?"

"It was okay."

"Any new memories?" Her mother backed the car out of the lot.

Sonny smiled as she thought the memory Chad had given her. "No, nothing yet."

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving! You should have seen what they were serving for lunch. I couldn't even bring myself to touch it. I think one thing was actually moving."

"Well, would you like to go to McDonald's or Subway?" Mrs. Monroe offered. She knew what her daughter would choose if she was normal, and she was hoping this little test would show whether or not Sonny was still there.

Sonny paused to consider her choices. Scrunching her face, she began to respond, "I feel like I should say Subway – since I'm on TV. But McDonald's sounds so much better."

"McDonald's it is, then," Mrs. Monroe smiled to herself. She was going to get her daughter back eventually.

***

Sonny was sleeping soundly in her bed. She was dreaming of herself sitting on top of the studio building talking with Chad. At the moment in time, she did not care if she knew anything of her past. Her mind felt free and she felt safe sitting next to someone who made her feel good for just being herself, and not the Sonny everyone else wanted.

Suddenly, a cow walked out and lay down between the two and began to moo. Sonny could not hear what Chad was saying any longer, because the sounds of mooing overtook his voice.

Slowly, Sonny woke herself up and tried to identify the location of the mooing in her room. Finally, she remembered that was the sound her found made instead of ringing.

"Hello?" she yawned.

"Sonny?" the voice on the opposite end answered.

"Chad? Why are you calling so late?"

"Actually, it's two in the morning. So technically it's early."

"Chad, why are you calling so _early_?"

"I wanted to make sure you got home safely. I didn't see you after lunch today, and I was worried the other Randoms left you somewhere alone."

"So Chad, why are you calling so early? Couldn't you have called like, five hours ago? Or in five hours?"

"Sorry, Monroe, were you sleeping?"

Sonny yawned again, "What was your first clue?"

"Okay, now that I know you're safe, I'll let you go back to sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Chad." Sonny hit the end button, laid the phone back down on her nightstand next to the picture of her and her father, and was asleep before her head touched her pillow.

Chad stared at his black cell phone. He could not believe he had just called Sonny at two in the morning with such a bad excuse. He really had been worried about her safety, but mostly he just wanted to hear her voice. With her only remembering him, it made Chad feel special. It gave him power and dominance. It set him apart from everyone else Sonny knew. After setting the phone down, he pulled the pen out of his shirt pocket. He had no idea why he was doing this to her – she did not deserve it. He loved it when she smiled yet he knew what he was doing was going to make her cry. He sat the pen down next to his phone on his own nightstand. Pulling off his shirt and jeans, Chad climbed into his bed at last. The cool sheets settled upon his body, reminding him of Sonny's touch as she hugged him. Everything about her was so fragile – was he really going to break her? Could he afford not to?


	3. Food Is Not For Eating

**I'm finally back home!!! Feels so good to be back. I spent a ton of time this week volunteering in a camp kitchen cleaning, so I had a ton of time to think this over. Thank you again for the amazing feedback.  
Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Good morning," Sonny met Chad outside the studio the next morning.

"Good morning," Chad yawned and turned around.

"You look awful. Are you feeling okay?" Sonny reached up and touched his forehead checking for a temperature.

Chad caught her hand. Her touch was driving him crazy. It was the sole thought that had kept him awake all night long. "I couldn't sleep last night. There was a lot on my mind. I'm fine, though."

Sonny snickered, "I wish there was a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to trade?" Chad smiled.

"Sonny," Tawni's voice rang out.

"That's my cue. I'll see you later?" Sonny looked to him for approval.

"Um, we have a bunch of filming to do today, but I'll let you know," Chad slowly began to step away.

"Okay, see you later!"

"Any memories yet?" Tawni held her breath once Sonny reached her.

"Sorry," Sonny shook her head. She was sick of people asking her that question.

"It's okay, they'll come when they come," Tawni assured. "Besides, Marshall already said he's cut 'The Check-It-Out Girls' for this week's show."

"I'm sorry, Tawni. I know how badly you wanted to do that sketch."

"Check it out! Check it out! Check it out!" Tawni cranked her head in wild directions.

"Tawni, what are you doing?"

"Still nothing?" Tawni leaned down towards Sonny. Sonny shook her head and kept walking, secretly thinking Tawni was a bit crazy.

***

Sonny sat at the lunch table with the others as they were arguing over sketch ideas. Zora wanted to be a mad scientist, Grady wanted her to be a clown, Nico wanted her to be a fish, and Tawni thought she should be a bank robber. She looked all around the lunch room, but could not locate Chad anywhere. Their bickering was getting to Sonny, because she thought none of their ideas were funny enough to be on television. None of the four character ideas even fit with the scene, and they would do nothing but upset the balance of the joke.

"What do you think, Sonny?" All four of them turned to her and asked at the same time.

"Uh," Sonny looked at each of her friends. "Honestly, I don't like any of them. Zora would be much better suited as an astronaut anyways. I'll be right back." Sonny pushed her chair out and walked down the hallway towards the bathroom. Maybe Chad thought meeting her there was better.

She waited as many people passed her by, but none of those people were Chad Dylan Cooper – only more unrecognizable faces. Sonny was beginning to think she would never remember anyone again.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw there was a text message from the person she was waiting for.

_Sorry, can't come. Lots of work. Call you later._

Sonny shrugged and walked back to the lunch room. Once she was out of range, Chad walked around the corner and placed his phone back in his pocket.

"Why didn't you get her? She was right there waiting for you," Portlyn stood next to him.

"The uh, pen battery died last night. I accidentally left it on. Besides, I don't want to miss anything she has to say. Come on; let's get back to the set."

"Why? We don't have to be back for an hour."

"Portlyn, when Chad Dylan Cooper says 'let's go' we go," Chad ordered.

***

Sonny returned to the lunch table to find everyone else cracking up instead of arguing.

"What did I miss?" Sonny looked around.

"We were just coming up with things Zora could say as an astronaut," Nico declared. "You may not have it, Sonny, but you still got it!"

Sonny stared at him puzzled. She didn't understand, but neither did anyone else.

***

Sonny stared at her phone as she crawled into bed. The screen was perfectly normal and it bothered her. There was no text message or missed call icon anywhere. Chad had not contacted her like he had promised.

"Maybe he forgot," Sonny sighed and put the phone down.

***

The next morning, Sonny popped out of the car and searched all around for Chad, but he was nowhere to be found. Everyone Sonny asked reported seeing him that morning, but had no clue where he currently was. Sonny shook her head. He had merely said he would call her – something everyone says but never actually does. As Sonny walked down the studio hallways, she realized there were less people there than normal.

"Mr. Pike, where is everyone? Aren't they all late?" Sonny wandered through Studio 3, finally finding their director.

"Oh, you haven't heard? Mr. Condor – owner of Condor Studios – has the day off. He's taking his little girl, Dakota, to an amusement park on the other side of the state today. No one feels the pressure of being here on time. I suspect they'll be here in about half an hour. Why don't you go relax in the prop house, and I'll call you when rehearsal's ready to begin," Marshall explained. He did not bother to ask her whether or not she had remembered anything. As long as she was calling him Mr. Pike, he knew.

Sonny sat on the sofa, her back holding perfect posture, as she waited for someone to arrive. The two boys, Nico and Grady, were the first to come in. "It's going to be a crazy day, Sonny!" Nico exclaimed.

"Yeah, with Mr. Condor gone, anything could happen," Grady finished the thought.

"How often does _Mr. Condor_ take days off?" Sonny asked. Saying names of people she was supposed to know felt strange to her.

"Once a year – maybe," Nico estimated.

"But he hasn't been gone in _two_ years," Grady added.

***

While Sonny sat watching her four cast mates being positioned on the stage, she felt the vibration of her phone. Pulling out the small device, a large smile replaced her bored gaze.

_Ready for memory No. 2? Be in the cafeteria today for lunch – don't leave to find me. Enjoy!_

Sonny laughed at Chad's message. Whatever he had planned, even he was getting excited for it. For an hour, she impatiently tapped her foot against her chair. She hated being there more and more every passing day. She felt trapped by wires, cameras, lights, and people running in organized, random directions. People stared at her as if she was in the way all of the time and she felt out of place every moment she was there. The only time of her day, in fact, when she felt comfortable, was when she was with Chad.

"Mr. Pike," Sonny looked up at him once he returned to his own seat. "What happened to the floor right there? Why is there a huge dent in the ground?"

Marshall followed her finger's direction all the way to the spot on the stage with a dent. "Oh, that?" Marshall hesitated. "That's where the light fell on you. We're getting it fixed next week. It's not that bad, though. You can't even see it when we're filming."

"Oh, that's good," Sonny nodded. She couldn't imagine the pain she must have experienced having one of those large, metal lights fall onto her. She was told she passed out immediately, but the thought still irked her. Sonny put her hand to her head where she had been struck. The large white bandage was gone, but she could still feel the staples which held her skull together. She was excited for them to be removed within the next couple of weeks. Everything atop her head was still sensitive to the touch.

"All right, everyone," Marshall finally called after another hour of rehearsing. "You can break for lunch. But I'm warning all of you, just because Mr. Condor isn't here, it doesn't mean you have free reign of the building. You still have to abide by the rules of the studios and be back in a timely manner."

Sonny hopped out of her chair and quickly followed the rest of the cast to the cafeteria. Looking all around her, she still could not find the blonde boy she had been waiting all morning to see.

"You're awfully antsy, what's going on, Sonny?" Nico realized something was up.

"Um, I don't know yet," Sonny admitted. "I guess I am just really hungry."

The _So Random_ cast sat eating, and to Sonny's relief, did not mention a single sketch or act from this week's show once. Unfortunately, their lunch break was coming to an end, and Sonny had yet to locate Chad or his big surprise.

Right at that moment, Chad entered the cafeteria nonchalantly, but motioned for Sonny to remain seated. Although he grabbed his usual ambrosia from the lunch lady, he also scooped a mound of the liquid mystery meat special onto a plate. Looking at the selection of rather nauseating general entrées, he picked up another paper plate and placed the left over tofu chunks from the previous two weeks onto the plate. Using his tray to support everything, Chad grabbed two plastic cups and filled them to the top with the tuna gravy. Sonny stared at him without a clue of what he was doing. She noticed he and all of his friends were not wearing the _Mackenzie Falls_ uniforms, but she shrugged it off. Sonny next observed Chad grabbing a paper bowl and filling it to the brim with wrinkled peas which were beginning to turn a grayish color.

"Chad hates peas," Sonny whispered to herself, feeling that strange tingling pain in her head.

"What's that, Sonny?" Tawni looked over from their conversation about new movies they had seen.

"Chad's up to something strange." Sonny continued to stare over at Chad, but the others shook their heads and ignored the statement. They did not want to be bothered with details about Chad Dylan Cooper.

Chad found himself a third plate as he nibbled on his own plate of fish and chips. He tapped his hand against the table as if trying to decide what he would pick up next. Leaning down, he smelled what was labeled mashed potatoes and almost gagged. He thought the potatoes looked strangely familiar to what they were selling as apple cobbler. He covered half of the third plate with the mashed potatoes and the other half with the cobbler, but all the food blended together and he could not tell the difference between to the two. He was so relieved he did not have to bother going through this every day for his own lunch. Quickly shoving the last few pieces of his own meal into his mouth, he used his plate for a pile of the browning salad – which seemed to be the best choice of the day.

Carefully, Chad lifted the heavy tray and examined all of the food he had taken. He was please. Looking back over the buffet table, Chad realized he had taken about a quarter of the food, but he knew it would not be missed.

Sonny looked up at the clock; they had about fifteen minutes remaining. Watching Chad take his position at the corner table, she had a feeling about what his plans were. Chad passed the plates around the table to his coworkers.

As if in slow motion, Sonny saw Chad reach down, grab a fistful of the mystery meat special and flung it across the room at the star from Hoosier Girl. Her jaw dropped as she looked back at the where the food came from, but no one was looking at her. She took a handful of her own mystery meat special and threw it over at one of the boy gladiators sitting on the other side of the room. The boys were scarfing down the food as though it were edible. When one was hit, he looked up and grunted. He saw the Hoosier Girl standing laughing. As he sent more food airborne, the meat accidentally hit a Meal or No Meal girl square in the face.

Holding back his laughter, Chad stood and called out, "Food Fight!" Picking up a handful of peas, he showered the entire cafeteria with the green balls. This got everyone involved quickly. Before the rest of the _So Random_ cast could register what was happening, they were being pelted with the tofu chunks. Sonny grabbed Tawni's plate of salad and walked up behind Chad, pouring it down the back of his shirt. Letting a small cry escape past his lips, Chad turned around and in one synchronized movement, poured one cup of the tuna gravy onto her head.

"Oh, I am going to get you back for that Chad Dylan Cooper," Sonny wiped the gravy out of her eyes. She reached for the plate of remaining mashed potatoes and apple cobbler, but Chad beat her to the punch. He pinched the collar of her shirt, pulled it forward, and poured the second cup of tuna gravy down the front of her stomach. She allowed a shriek flow out of her mouth as he did so. "Chad!" She laughed. She took the plate in her hand and smashed it all in his face. Frozen for a moment, Chad stared at Sonny laughing. He reached to his face and wiped off a full handful of the mush. He looked at her devilishly as she tried to back up. He reached out for her, but her foot slipped on the puddle of tuna gravy and she slipped backwards, pulling him down with her. Chad's hand began to smear the food all across Sonny's face now that she was his captive.

"STOP!" A voice howled and everyone began to stop the food fight. Chad helped Sonny stand up and together they saw Murphy standing at the cafeteria doorway. Instantly, everyone dropped the food in their hands, trying to pretend as if they were not involved in the food fight, but their food covered clothing gave everything away.

"Murphy!" Chad quickly hopped over food splattered on the floor. "Don't worry. I have a cleaning company coming in to clean all of this up in five minutes. This place will look better than when Mr. Condor left. But this stays between us, okay?" Chad leaned over slipping Murphy a twenty dollar bill.

"I can't be bought that easily, Mr. Cooper," Murphy fumed.

"Well, you could take the money and not tell Mr. Condor what happened, or you can tell him and when I get called down to his office, I can explained that there was no security guard present to ensure I didn't get in this kind of trouble."

Murphy grabbed the twenty and marched off.

"I can't believe you did that. Look at this place. Look at me!" Sonny tried to settle her laughter once Chad returned to her side. "Thank you, Chad."

"Sonny, come on, Marshall's going to kill us. We have to go," Tawni urged and pulled Sonny away.

***

"All right, Sonny," Mrs. Monroe sighed. "I think with one more wash, I should be able to get all of the tuna gravy out of your shirt." She sat next to her daughter on their sofa and began to braid her hair into two French-braided pigtails. The large gash was exposed but Connie did her best not to stare at it – the sight only made her cry.

Sonny sat looking at the wall in her pink bath robe and soaking wet hair. Her mother was being extremely gentle while braiding her hair, but Sonny still felt uneasy whenever the woman placed her hands on her.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Monroe tied off the second braid and opened the front door revealing Chad standing in the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Monroe," he half smiled.

"Hello, Chad," Connie scowled.

"Uh, Sonny left this in the cafeteria today," he held out a small bracelet.

"I don't think that's hers. I haven't seen it before. Sonny, is this yours?" Connie took the bracelet from Chad and walked over to Sonny sitting on the sofa.

"No, I've never seen it before. _Mom_," Sonny cringed at the word, "can Chad come up to my room real quick? I want to give him back the shirt he let me use for the afternoon. I'm pretty sure I left it up there."

Mrs. Monroe looked back and forth for a few seconds. Normally, Sonny would have gone alone, but Dr. Chris had warned her against letting Sonny wander off alone and she realized how mean it would have been to follow Sonny up to her room herself. "Fine," Connie relented. "But the door stays open, you will only have about three minutes, and I want to apply your medication first."

Sonny nodded. Her mother had to clean the wound with antibiotics twice a day. She hated this part of her day and she did not want Chad to watch what happened. The cleaning liquid burned and stung horribly, but the doctors could not risk her getting an infection on her head which could quickly spread to her brain and kill her.

Mrs. Monroe took the bottle of medicated liquid and poured some on a white dishrag. "Are you ready?" She asked Sonny. Sonny nodded nervously and held her breath. Mrs. Monroe placed the white rag over Sonny's wound and applied pressure. Sonny tried to stifle a cry, for she did not want to cry in front of the one person she remembered, but failed at her attempted. Chad looked down at the ground upon hearing her whimper. "All right, all done."

"Thank you," Sonny looked at the woman who everyone claimed to be her mother and walked up the stairs with Chad.

"Are you okay?" Chad spoke once they reached the top of the stairs.

"Yes, I'm fine. It must be done. Here we go," Sonny quickly located Chad's t-shirt. "Sorry you can all the way out here to return a bracelet that wasn't mine."

Chad nodded. He had known all along it was really Portlyn's. She had worn it every day since the first episode of _Mackenzie_ _Falls_. "It's no problem." He looked around her room and could not believe what he was seeing. Unicorn wallpaper was everywhere, she had about a dozen or two unicorn stuffed animals, and a poster of a unicorn was taped along the edge of her ceiling – and Chad Dylan Cooper was getting it all on tape.


	4. Lost

**Hello everyone! This chapter is a bit shorter than what I'm used to writing. I've had writer's block all day and I wanted to get this out before I get busy again this week. Love you all!  
Enjoy! **

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Chad shuffled through the clothing in his drawer for something to wear to bed. Everything was either dirty or too nice to wear to bed. Usually, he would have opted to go shirtless, but a cool breeze had pushed through that night, and he was cold. Finally giving up on finding anything, he reached for the shirt he had let Sonny use that afternoon.

His body trembled as the fabric brushed passed his face and over his body. He could smell her light, fruity scent all throughout the shirt and all over himself. He glared at the pen camera sitting on his nightstand. He wanted to throw it against the wall. He wanted to run over it with his car. He wanted it to just disappear – but it couldn't. Portlyn knew about it know and she would tell everyone if he got rid of it.

***

"Sonny, it's time to leave," Marshall walked into Sonny's dressing room after a torturing long day of rehearsal.

"Oh, Mr. Pike, my _mom_ is going to be a little late picking me up tonight. Do you think it would be all right if I stayed here for a while? No longer than an hour, I promise," Sonny pleaded.

"Sure, that's fine. I'll let Murphy know you're still in here so you don't get locked in. Just check in with him before you leave, okay?"

"Thank you so much, Mr. Pike!" Sonny waved goodbye to everyone and sat down in the chair in front of her mirror. She looked around the room at the different items Tawni and she had spread across the room. There was makeup, magazines, pictures, and a guitar. "Hmm, I wonder if I play guitar," Sonny lifted the wooden guitar off of its stand and strummed across the strings. She loved the way it sounded. Whichever one of them played it, she always kept it perfectly in-tune. Sonny placed the guitar back and walked around the room.

She was exhausted from the long day and all she wanted to do was cry herself to sleep. It had been a full week since her accident and she could still not remember anything. So many people asked her every day whether or not she could remember anything. Tomorrow afternoon, she was going to be seeing Dr. Chris again to review her progress. She laughed at the word 'progress.' There was no progress being made. The most she remembered was Chad Dylan Cooper did not like peas. A whole week of being thrown back to her normal life and that was all she knew. Though it was a small victory to her at the time, the boy's aversion to the small green vegetable meant little to the whole picture. Sonny was supposed to be keeping a journal about anything she remembered, but it was the last thing she wanted Dr. Chris looking at. She had two things written on the first page. _Chad Dylan Cooper_ and _Chad hates peas_.

Sonny always waited until she returned home to cry or let loose her emotions. She knew how these Hollywood people sometimes acted and she did not want to act stupid or expose anything in front of anyone who might choose to exploit her. She did not want to make the real Sonny angry at her either.

Trying to ignore her emotions, Sonny grabbed one of the magazines sitting on the table and began to read about the latest summer fashions. Finally, after only forty-five minutes, Sonny's phone rang. It was her mother calling to say she was waiting in the parking lot. Sonny was so relieved to finally be going home, that she almost forgot to tell Murphy she was leaving. She turned around just as she got to the door leading to the exterior of the building. Suddenly, she remembered she did not remember where Murphy's office was.

"I bet I can use this as a little test," Sonny whispered to herself. She planned on seeing if she could figure out how to get to Murphy's office by bringing forth an old memory, then she would have a third thing to write in her journal and more to talk about with Dr. Chris!

Unfortunately, it did not take Sonny very long to realize this was not a memory she would be regaining that evening. Uneasily, she walked around strange studios and sets she could not recognize. She did not know what side of the building she was on. Her mind began to spin faster and faster as she became more and more lost. One tear fell from her left eye, then one from her right, and another from her left. Her phone kept mooing as her mother called wondering where she was. Sonny quickly texted back saying she was going to tell Officer Murphy she was leaving, but she was lost. Returning the text, Mrs. Monroe tried her best to calm Sonny down and instructed her to find a sign which would lead her back to Studio Three or the main exit. But with Sonny in such an anxious mess, she was unable to locate a sign which could help. She saw a dozen restroom and elevator signs, but there was nothing which would take her to a place she would recognize.

Sonny looked around for someone who could help her, but it was too late, and everyone had left the building. She was overcome by the sensation of being lost and alone.

"Hello," her voice quivered. "Is anyone there who can help me?"

She leaned her back against the wall and fell to the floor. She hated being like this. It was like being a child in a grown up's body. She was no more ready to be on her own than a two-year-old, yet she was. She was alone, at night, in an unfamiliar building.

"Sonny?" A sweet voice called her name from around the corner. Sonny looked up and wiped the few tears from her eyes.

"Chad, thank God you're here," she grabbed his hand and pulled herself to her feet.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Chad asked worriedly. "Why are you here at this time of night?"

"My mom was going to be late picking me up, so I had to tell Officer Murphy when I was leaving. I decided I would test myself to see if I could get myself to his office based on memory, but I got lost in the process."

"You were going to see _Murphy_? Sonny, his office is on the complete other side of the building. Come on; let's get you to your mom. I will let him know you've left." Chad wrapped his arm around her back and held onto her opposite shoulder. The two walked all the way across the building until they reached the exit where Mrs. Monroe had her car parked.

"Thank you, Chad," Mrs. Monroe breathed a sigh of relief once Sonny opened the door and got in the car. "Goodnight."

Sonny closed the car door and waved goodbye to Chad – her savior.

"Are you okay, Sonny?" Mrs. Monroe asked once they reached the main road. She could hear Sonny's rapid breathing and noticed her shaking softly.

"Yes, ma'am. I am just a bit frazzled," Sonny assured.

"How on Earth did you get that lost, Sonny?"

"I don't know, _mom_. One minute I was walking confidently down the hall, and the next, I was completely lost."

"Well, it's all over now. Let's go home."

***

Sonny lay in the bed given to her as her own. It was cozy and comfortable, but it felt more like a hotel bed – strange and different. The sound of a cow bell shook her from her thoughts. She lifted the phone off of the nightstand and saw she had another text from Chad.

_Hey, did you get home safely? Hated seeing you scared. Txt me. _

Sonny smiled. He always knew what to say or do when she needed something to give her comfort.

_Yes, Chad. I'm home. Thank you so much. You're my hero._ Sonny texted back and set the phone down and slowly fell asleep with a smile on her face instead of tear stains as she was expecting.

***

Chad looked at the return message from Sonny on his phone. "I wish she wouldn't say things like that, I'm not a hero," he muttered setting the pen down on his desk. The memory card was filling up quickly and Chad knew he already had enough to completely ruin her reputation. He had enough to hold it against her for the rest of time. He even had enough to get back at everyone on _So Random_ if he so desired. She just had to call him a hero now.

Lying in his bed, he could not erase the image of Sonny sitting on the ground completely petrified. He knew she was not only lost in the building, but she was lost within her own body as well. If she was that terrified being physically lost, he could only imagine how scared she was being mentally lost.

Chad grabbed his phone and began to text Portlyn.

_I can't do this, P. I can't do this to Sonny in her current state. It's not right._

He waited thirty seconds before she replied.

_CDC, think about what ur sayin. Ur not hurting the current Sonny. You won't show her the tape until she gets her memory back. Remember, this Sonny is not the real Sonny. Don't let her play with your mind._

Chad sighed. Portlyn was right. Why did she have to be right?


	5. Just For Safety

**Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last update. I've tried to update every night, but I have been utterly blocked all week long. Thanks a million for the sweet reviews and comments about the story!  
Enjoy! **

* * *

'Just for safety' were the three words Chad hated more than anything else at that moment. 'Just for safety' meant he was no longer in complete control of the situation. 'Just for safety' meant he could not choose to opt out of everything covertly. 'Just for safety' meant he lost all of his dominance over the end result. 'Just for safety' meant Portlyn had downloaded the pen camera's memory onto her own computer and made two back-up discs. One for him and one for her. Now if anything happened to the pen, the plan could still go on. Now the pen had an empty memory card. Now Chad had to continue. Just for safety.

***

"Well, I can't say I'm happy about these results," Dr. Chris slowly looked over the chart in his hands. Sonny sat atop the medical bed and Mrs. Monroe sat on the opposite side of the room in a small black chair. "Sonny, are you positive these are the only two things you can remember?"

"Yes, Dr. Chris. Trust me, if _anything_ else had come up during the course of the week, I would have written it down," Sonny explained.

The doctor sighed, "I would like you to have another CT scan done, Sonny – just to ensure we didn't miss any neural trauma. I don't think we should get too worried quite yet. Sometimes, it takes a bit longer for amnesiacs to recover."

"What happens the other times?" Mrs. Monroe spoke up for the first time during their visit.

"Excuse me?"

"You said only sometimes amnesiacs will need extended recovery time. What happens in other cases?"

Dr. Chris sighed again. He was so sure Sonny was going to be a standard case, but it was not turning out to be one. "With every passing day, the chance of Sonny regaining her full memory diminishes. Her memories get pushed to the back of the brain every time she falls asleep and sometimes, the brain is unable to bring forth those important memories after too long of an extended period of time. But like I said, I don't want to get too worried right now. We still have a bit of time until we need to start worrying about that. Now, I will send in the nurse to get Sonny prepped for her scan which we can actually do today in this office. I will look over your results and let you know how it goes, Sonny."

Dr. Chris left the room before Sonny shot a worried look at her mother. "What if I don't get my memory back?" Sonny asked blatantly, even though she knew her mother was thinking the same thing.

"Don't you worry, Sonny, you heard Dr. Chris say that it is not time to consider that as a possibility. Let's just get through the CT scan and we can head back home, okay?"

Sonny nodded as a nurse entered with a hospital gown Sonny was asked to wear during the scan. As the nurse took Sonny down the hallway, Dr. Chris reentered the room Mrs. Monroe was sitting in.

"Mrs. Monroe," he whispered softly. "I need to ask you a few questions before you and Sonny leave for the day."

"Of course," Connie turned around in her seat to face the doctor.

"When Sonny was a child, did she ever experience any type of emotional trauma? You know, something her body might be keeping her from remembering."

"Well, her father died when she was only five, but I put her through therapy. The doctor said we had nothing to worry about," Connie declared in a defensive tone. "Oh, and then there was the time when she was six, she fell off of her bicycle, she cried for two days. When she was ten, the neighbor's dog bit her. Oh, and when she was twelve, she fell off her horse. Does any of that count?"

"I don't think any of that would be enough for Sonny to keep herself from remembering – especially with therapy. Let's just keep taking things step by step, and hopefully, something will come up."

"Dr. Chris, I need to ask you something, now," Mrs. Monroe began. "In about a week, I will be leaving for a business trip, and my boss said no one can take any family members whatsoever. He is sick of other's children calling in the middle of our meetings to talk about the dolphins they saw in the ocean. Anyways, I have asked all of our friends and neighbors if they could look after Sonny for a few days, and the only family who is available, is the Coopers. I am terrified of leaving Sonny in a house with _that boy_."

"I thought Chad has been greatly helping Sonny through this time?"

"Yes, I still don't like him, though. He worries me. Sonny has to be with someone though, and his parents are willing and able to accept her. What do you think, Dr. Chris?"

The doctor paused to consider her issue, "I think the Coopers are capable of taking good care of your daughter, Mrs. Monroe. His parents do live with him, don't they?"

Mrs. Monroe gave a soft nod. She had desperately wanted him to be opposed to it.

"Good, then there shouldn't be a problem. Besides, memory or no memory, Sonny is a responsible teenager. She knows her boundaries."

***

Twenty minutes later, once Sonny had finished her scan, she and her mother were walking out Dr. Chris' office.

"It's so nice that he works in the hospital and he has his own practice," Sonny commented. "I like Dr. Chris."

"He is a very nice man," Mrs. Monroe replied. "Sonny, what would you like for din–" Mrs. Monroe began to ask her daughter but was cut off by a thunderous crowd rushing towards the two of them.

Lights flashed and adults shouted all at once to Sonny as they forced her mother to the outer edge of the circle and denied her reentry.

Sonny thought to herself the paparazzi did not know she did not remember anything, but after hearing only a few of the journalists' questions, Mrs. Monroe had no doubt they knew everything.

***

"Chad!" Tawni marched up to the other blonde in the hallways. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't need this, right now," Chad smirked, turned, and continued to walk away.

"Too bad," Tawni grabbed him by the arm and spun him around.

"Tawni, watch the shirt. I don't know how it works down on the set of _So Random_ but _Mackenzie Falls_ we need to look presentable," Chad reprimanded, brushing the wrinkles from his sleeve.

"Look, I need something from you," Tawni finally admitted.

"Oh, I see." Chad smiled at her, watching as he took control of the situation. "But you know, Tawni, I'm not really in the mood for favors today."

"It's not for me, dummy, it's for Sonny."

"I'm listening."

"We were all told we had to act the same around her. We weren't allowed to treat her differently just because of her accident. Her doctor said that was the only way we could hope to get her back. But _you_. Of course you think you're above that rule, don't you. Going around, treating her nice – like you two are friends."

"So you want me to be mean to her. Is that it?"

"Exactly."

"Wow, you are a great friend, Tawni. But no, I am not going to do that to her in her current condition. Accept it if you want, Tawni, Sonny needs a friend right now, and I'm the only one she trusts. I'm not going to crush her so you all at _So Random_ can get her back faster. Besides, maybe I like Sonny better this way." Chad began to walk off again.

"So you like her better when she comes to set in the morning, her eyes still bloodshot from crying so much the night before? You like seeing her sit at a desk for three hours trying to force herself to remember something – anything? You like it how she gets lost just walking down the hallway when she's alone? You like it how Marshall has to stop rehearsal and drive her to her doctor's office whenever one of the _staples in her head_ comes loose and her head starts bleeding again? Well, Chad Dylan Cooper, if you really like all of that, then you are a much bigger conceited jerk than we all thought."

***

"Sonny! Sonny! How did your mother react to your sex tape? Are you and Ron Jeremy still together after the video leaked?" One reporter called out. Sonny was disgusted by the question, yet horrified to think she had done something like that.

"Miss Monroe, does Marshall Pike have any plans of firing you from the _children's_ comedy show, _So Random_, after you were arrested for possession of crack cocaine?" Another blurted out. Sonny looked around desperately for a way out, but the reporters had her trapped on all sides.

Connie tried desperately to force her way through mob, but she was too week. She could not stand listening to the accusations of the sick individuals any longer. With the studio just down the street, Mrs. Monroe threw off her heels and darted for help, leaving Sonny alone to the mercy of the paparazzi.

"Sonny Monroe!" Sonny narrowed in on a third voice. "How much time did you and Marshal Pike spend on the 'casting couch' before you received a spot on _So Random_?"

"Sonny, is it true that Marshal Pike found you in Wisconsin's juvenile detention facility when he discovered your comedic talent?"

"Sonny, did that girl from your school in Wisconsin ever wake up from her coma after you hit her over the head with a metal chair?"

Sonny began to shake. Her head throbbed as she desperately tried to remember at least one of these events. What kind of person was she? These people had to be lying to her, but why would they lie? She had done nothing to them, and it did not give them any profit to stand there shouting at her – did it? Little did Sonny know that the more scared she looked, the better pictures reporters were getting. Nothing would make the magazines sell out faster than seeing America's new favorite young actress in such a terrified, panicked state.

"Sonny Monroe, how long have you been cutting yourself? And how much therapy are you going through to correct your depression?" The reporter handed Sonny a picture of herself at some red carpet event. The picture had been photo-shopped, but Sonny could not tell just by looking at the picture. All she saw were the several marks engraved in her left wrist. She looked down at her arm, but saw no signs of scarring anywhere. Surely she would know she had done _something_ to herself.

***

"Mrs. Monroe, what's wrong?" Chad turned when he heard a breathless female break into his dressing room, figuring it was one of his many insane fans.

"Sonny, needs help," was all Connie could force out of her mouth before to two began to run back to the doctor's office.

***

"Sonny! Sonny!" Chad heard one of the reporters call from far away. "How old were you exactly when you got pregnant with your best friend's boyfriend's child? And how far along was the pregnancy when you had the abortion?" Chad quickly pinpointed the weak point in the circle and pushed his way through it with all of his strength, but not before hearing another question.

"Sonny Monroe, why did you tell your father on live television that you hated him?"

Sonny was on the edge of breaking down when she saw the angelic golden locks of hair pushing through the mob. Chad's face finally broke through and Sonny ran straight into the safety of his arms.

"Move out of her way!" Chad demanded. He held Sonny in one arm, holding her closely to him, and used his other arm to push back reporters who became ecstatic over his presence and actions. Sonny placed one hand on his chest as he led her through the mad crowd. Mrs. Monroe quickly opened the car door and let Sonny and Chad into the backseat then quickly raced for home.

***

"Why don't you spend the night, Chad. Your car is back at the studio, I'm making enough food for six, and I know Sonny could really use some company tonight. And no matter how much it pains me, I cannot give her the comfort you can," Mrs. Monroe forced the offer from her mouth.

Chad stood considering his options. He listened to the shower running upstairs and recalled the image of Sonny in such a distraught condition. "Sure," he finally consented. "I'll spend the night for her." He looked uneasily over at the sofa and shuttered when he thought that would be his sleeping place.

"Thank you, Chad. I know Sonny will be so happy to hear. Let me show you the guest room. It's just down this hall and next to Sonny's room," Connie showed him up the stairs and down the hallway. "Here are some bath towels and a washcloth. Feel free to use anything we have in the bathroom. I'm not sure if we have anything you'd want to sleep in, but I'm sure Sonny has an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants you could use."

"Thank you, Mrs. Monroe." Chad groaned on the inside. He did not want to put on another shirt filled with Sonny's sweet smell – he did not know if he could handle it again.

"On my way to pick her up this afternoon, I rented her favorite movie – Below."

"Below? But that's a scary movie. Sonny likes scary movies?" Chad laughed quietly.

"Yes, I mean, I'm not sure if she still does. I'm hoping it will trigger a memory if you two watch it tonight. Would you mind?"

"No, it's a great movie." Mrs. Monroe left Chad in the guest room so she could begin making dinner. Chad heard the shower's water turn off and he listened to Sonny fumbling around in her room – probably around all the unicorns.

"You're staying?" Sonny popped into Chad's room unnoticed.

"Yeah, I told you, Monroe, I'm going to take care of you. You obviously need a guard 24/7 now," Chad joked. "Your mom asked me to spend the night and I agreed."

Sonny smiled, "_Mom_'s making beef casserole. Smells good, doesn't it?" Chad nodded. He realized he still had the pen in his pocket and suddenly felt uncomfortable about being there. It was not right for him to be _invited_ into their house and still spy on them. He had started the day with an empty memory card; he could just pretend he forgot to hid 'record' that morning if he erased it. It's not like he would lose any of the good footage he had recorded the previous week. "Chad," Sonny broke a silence that Chad was unaware was happening. "I didn't do all of that stuff, did I?" She looked at him with pure terror in her eyes, afraid of his answer.

"Monroe, I haven't known you forever, but I can honestly say that they were all a bunch of no good, cheap, worthless liars. Don't ever listen to what the paparazzi have to say – ever."

***

"Mrs. Monroe, dinner was amazing. I haven't had food like that since my sixteenth birthday partying. Best catering I've ever had, but this far outweighs anything they had for us," Chad praised the food. Both he and Connie had made a tag-team effort to get Sonny speaking freely again, but the afternoon's event had clearly taken its toll on her systems. Sonny commented when she had to, but returned to pushing the food around on her plate in between bites.

During the movie, Mrs. Monroe had left to finish up some late night paperwork in the kitchen, but the two teens had the sofa to themselves for the scary movie. Chad could tell how scared Sonny was becoming by the lack of distance between them. Sonny snuggled closer and closer to him, frightened by the series of ghosts and dead bodies. Mrs. Monroe continuously peeked in on them to ensure Chad was not taking advantage of the situation and was relieved to find he was acting appropriately.

By the final credits, Sonny was exhausted, and even after watching her favorite movie, she still could not remember a thing. She hugged Chad and her mother good night and climbed the stairs.

***

When Chad entered the bathroom to shower before falling asleep, he was troubled when he only found two scents of shampoo – Strawberry Storm and Mango Rush. Smelling the two, he realized Sonny's shampoo was Strawberry Storm, and he figure it was the better of the two.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this," Chad sighed as he poured the pink liquid into his hand and began to massage it into his hair.

When he finally reached the guest room, Chad saw the small white shirt and yellow, unisex sweatpants from Sonny's old high school. He put on the clothing – feeling quite awkward being in girl's clothing – and climbed into the untouched bed. Sonny's smell bounded from the shirt and threatened to keep Chad awake again. From what he remembered of her room, he knew that their heads were barely separated by the wall. As he listened closely, he could hear each breath she took. They were louder than simple breaths, but much softer than snores. Every five to ten minutes, he heard her release a small whimper or cry. He wanted to rush in and save her from whatever dream she was having, but he knew he could not. He was still Chad Dylan Cooper, and Chad Dylan Cooper was already somewhere he should not be. Chad Dylan Cooper was in a girl's house after rushing to her rescue in front of a million cameras. Chad Dylan Cooper was going to have a lot of explaining to do to the press with Strawberry scented hair, and Chad Dylan Cooper did not want to have to explain also to a scared mother why she caught him in her daughter's room in the middle of the night. Chad Dylan Cooper was stuck.


	6. A Mother's Love

**Hello! Wow, thank you so much, again, for the fantastic response. I really appreciate everyone reading the story.  
Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**"Okay, Chad, we're going to get you back to your normal self," Portlyn circled around Chad who was sitting in a chair at a desk. A few feet in front of him was a green chalkboard which had 'Restoring Chad Dylan Cooper Session One' written across it cursive, yellow writing.

"Tell me again why we have to do this, Portlyn?" Chad looked up. She was treating him like a child.

"Because, Chad, your hair smells like a Strawberry Shortcake exploded on your head." Portlyn slammed her long, retractable pointer on his desk. "You've gotten too close to the target. It is, however, understandable." Portlyn calmed herself down and straightened her posture, continuing to pace around his chair. "You don't have anything to worry about, though. When I'm done with you, Chad, you'll be seeing Sonny Monroe as just another one of the pesky, annoying, mediocre, unworthy Randoms." Portlyn smiled maniacally as she rested her hand on Chad's shoulder. She was going to have fun with this.

***

The water drops fell down onto the top of Connie Monroe's car as she drove home from a late night at the office. The sun had just fallen below the horizon and the clouds had quickly come in. Connie reminisced on how happy Sonny seemed that morning on the car ride to the studio with Chad sitting next to her in the back seat. It was the first morning Sonny actually seemed excited to get to the studio. After the previous day's event, Mrs. Monroe had sat awake in bed listening to her daughter cry out in her sleep. She knew she could not enter Sonny's bedroom, because Sonny did not feel safe around her. She was not in a position to provide comfort to her own child. It filled her heart with warmth when Sonny awoke the next morning refreshed and happy.

Although Connie usually enjoyed driving in the rain, tonight she felt uneasy. She just wanted to get home and see Sonny had been dropped off safely. She had it organized that Tawni would drive her home after rehearsal, because Mrs. Monroe did not want Sonny to have to stay alone again. She felt horrible enough already that she was leaving Sonny alone so much. Dr. Chris warned her every time they spoke not to leave her alone. He feared her injury would cause her to pass out or her loss of memory would scare her into doing something reckless.

After twenty minutes of convincing herself Sonny was home safe and sound, she found her efforts were in vain. As she pulled the car into the driveway, she found Sonny sitting out on the uncovered front porch of their home. She was completely drenched by that time and shaking slightly.

"Sonny, what happened?" Mrs. Monroe shouted over the rain as she exited her car with an umbrella in hand.

"I lost my key, and I can't remember where you hide the spare. I'm sorry," Sonny apologized. She was able to hold back her tears as her mother fumbled with the key in her hand. Pushing the door open, Mrs. Monroe led Sonny inside and immediately to the bathroom where she engulfed Sonny with one of their best towels. Mrs. Monroe scrambled away to find Sonny her pajamas. Mrs. Monroe looked at the silk pajamas and wished Sonny had something a bit warmer for the night. She found an old sweatshirt sitting on Sonny's bed and picked it up as well. Connie ran back to the bathroom and handed Sonny the clothing.

"I'm going to go make you some hot tea," Mrs. Monroe informed Sonny. "I will be right downstairs in the kitchen if you need anything all right?" Sonny nodded softly. Mrs. Monroe saw the hurt and frustration in Sonny's face. She was just glad there were no tears. She did not know if she could handle another crying spell.

"I'm sorry," Sonny walked out of her room and sat on the sofa next to her mother.

"Why are you sorry, Sonny? You have done nothing wrong," Mrs. Monroe pushed a loose, wet strand of hair away from Sonny's eye. "In fact, you are probably the most innocent one of us all."

"I cause stress, and chaos, and worry. You all have to take care of me as if I am a child. It is not fair for me to put you all through this." Sonny quietly handed her mother a packet of papers she had printed off from the internet.

"The House for Children with Neural Trauma? Sonny, what is this?" Mrs. Monroe continued to read through the papers.

"It's a sanctuary for people under eighteen who have had some kind of head injury. They know how to handle all kinds of neural conditions. The lady there told me they have lots of experience with amnesiacs."

"Sonny –"

"It's just down the street from Condor Studios, so you could visit me as often as you wanted – if you wanted to visit me."

"Sonny –"

"All of the employees are medically trained in case anything was to happen. It's also really cheap. It's no more than the cost of gas of you driving me to the studio and back every day."

"Sonny –"

"And best of all, you all won't have to worry about me all of the time."

"Sonny!" Mrs. Monroe placed her hand on the back of Sonny's head, carefully not to touch her wound. "As your mother, I still reserve the right to worry about you – all of the time." She picked up the packet of information. "As for this, well, a snowball has a better chance in you-know-where than of me sending you away. I love you, Sonny, and regardless of how much you remember, you are still my little girl. I will go to the ends of the earth for you, even if you hated me."

"I don't hate you."

"I know you don't sweetheart." Mrs. Monroe smiled. It was the first time, since the accident, she had allowed herself to call Sonny anything else other than her name. "Sonny, one day you and I are going to look back at this time and laugh."

"What if that day never comes?" Sonny asked nervously.

"It will."

"But what if it doesn't?"

"Sonny, it will," her mother replied more forcefully. "Sonny, you think that I am bothered by the little mishaps that have been occurring since you lost your memory, and although it is true I wish you weren't put through the stress, I'm just so happy you're okay. When I got the call that you had gotten hurt, I was so afraid I was going to lose you. So if _anyone_ thinks they can take you away from me, they obviously don't know the name, Constance Monroe."

Sonny reached out and hugged her mother. It was the first time Sonny truly felt love towards the woman who had sheltered her through the long week. Mrs. Monroe squeezed Sonny tightly. She loved her daughter more than life itself. The thought of giving her away to someone else broke her heart. She was never letting Sonny go.

***

Chad sat at his computer that evening, the rain pounding against his window, laughing. The image on the screen scanned passed multiple representations of unicorns. The room was like a unicorn museum. The pictures of majestic white horses with horns placed on their heads by computer generation were almost too much for him to handle. When he looked over the scenes of Sonny covered in tuna gravy, he almost fell over in her chair.

"That one is worth all the riches in the world!" he laughed to himself, careful not to wake his parents sleeping. Suddenly, Chad found himself thirsty. Walking down the hallway for the bathroom, he passed by the guest room Sonny would be staying in at the end of the week. His parents already had the room nicely furnished and prepared for her visit. He could not believe Sonny's mother was naïve enough to leave Sonny alone with him. Sonny was plenty naïve to trust him in the first place, but he thought Mrs. Monroe did not like him.

Chad was planning on having some fun while Sonny was at his house. He could not bring himself to tape while he was at her house, but his house was free territory. He had ample opportunity to hear what Sonny had to say, and surely she was going to start remembering something soon.

After returning to his room with a glass of water, Chad turned off his monitor, stripped his clothing off, and climbed into his bed. He was so happy Portlyn had finally knocked some sense into his thick skull. Perhaps he would finally get a full night's sleep. It would, after all, be the first he would have since Sonny's accident.

As Chad lay in his bed, he slowly closed his eyes with a big smile on his face. Two seconds later, his eyes flew open again. "Bad position," he mumbled to himself and flipped over in bed closing his eyes, only to open them again. For an hour, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to drift off. He grunted and moaned at the thought of losing another night of sleep.

Chad finally slid back out of his bed and over to his computer. He did not realize he had forgotten to pause the tape; he only had turned off his volume. Once his monitor flickered back on, he shuttered at the scene. It was an ugly reminder of how scared Sonny was when she was lost in the studio. He saw her sitting against the wall, her head buried between her knees and tears beginning to fall freely.

Chad sighed once the scene had passed, but the shivers in his spine returned when he heard the vulgar questions from the paparazzi being thrown at Sonny. Lies – all lies. Where did they get off thinking they could get away with doing that to her?

"Why didn't I erase that when I had the chance?" Chad slapped his hand against his head. "This ends tomorrow." Chad returned to his bed and dozed off thinking of how he would tell Sonny what he had done but how he really felt about it.

***

"Hey, where's Sonny?" Chad barged onto the set of _So Random_ looking for the one girl who just last night, he swore was just another one of the Randoms.

"Sonny is not coming in this morning," Marshall declared. "She was left out in the rain yesterday, and she's sick with a cold. Do you want to leave a message?"

Chad shook his head and walked away.

"Chad! What are you doing over at _So Random_?" Portlyn caught him leaving the set.

"W-What are _you_ doing over here, Portlyn?" Chad tried to fire back.

"Looking for you. So I'll ask you again. What are you doing here?"

"Portlyn…I…Sonny doesn't…the film…"

"Chad Dylan Cooper, I apologize."

"What?" Chad looked up at her somewhat shocked.

"I obviously wasn't finished with you when I released you from class yesterday. Now look at where you are, right back where we began. Come on, Chad, let's go have a little chat over some coffee." Portlyn grabbed a hold of Chad's arm and dragged him off. She was going to keep his head straight if it was the last thing she did.


	7. The Media

**You guys are the BEST. You had me crying from all the sweet things said in the reviews. Anyways, this chapter is somewhat a transition chapter between Sonny's "photo shoot" and when she goes to stay at Chad's. I practically have the next chapter written, so look for it soon. Enjoy!!!

* * *

**"Mom, I'm feeling better," Sonny attempted to convince her mother as a thermometer was stuck in her mouth for the fourth time since she had awakened that morning. Since their talk, Sonny was feeling more comfortable calling Connie, 'mom', but there was still certain indifference in her voice.

"I know, but Dr. Chris is worried you're going to get a fever. He doesn't want anymore trauma to your brain than there already is," Mrs. Monroe took the thermometer out of her daughter's mouth and gasped. "It's 98.8. It's gone up 0.2 degrees. Maybe you should stay home again today."

"I've been drinking your tea, mom. I'm okay." Sonny reached out and touched her mother's arm reassuringly.

"Fine, but promise me you'll take your temp every hour, and if even touches 99, you'll call me."

She took the thermometer from her mother, "Promise."

Sonny's temperature never rose above 98.6 that day, and even though Mrs. Monroe called Sonny every hour on the hour to ensure her temperature was normal, they both knew she had gotten over her cold.

***

"Good morning, Tawni," Sonny entered their dressing room. She was not exactly sure why she went in every morning – it was not like she had anything to change into – but it felt right and she enjoyed Tawni's trivial conversation.

"Someone's feeling better," Tawni pointed out. "Sonny, I'm s… I'm s…" Tawni bit her tongue. "I'm so…"

"You're sorry," Sonny began the sentence for her.

"…For leaving you at home. I admit, I _probably_ should have waited to see if you got inside safely."

"Thanks, Tawni, but it's no problem. I totally understand, besides, you had that date to get ready for."

"Tawni, your magazines are here," Josh, the mailman, entered their room and handed Tawni a bundle of magazines.

"Yay! Let's see how many pictures I'm in this week!" Tawni glowed as she ripped the bunch from Josh's hands and quickly zipped through them, slowing down as she gazed across the covers, which all seemed to be similar.

Sonny, not yet realizing something was wrong, smiled at Tawni. Tawni's simple character always seemed to make her laugh in one way or another – even when her actions caused Sonny pain.

"I can't believe it," Tawni threw the last magazine down on her table.

"What, you're not on every cover?" Sonny gave a small laugh. It did not take long for her to realize Tawni was a media addict.

"No! You are!" Tawni shouted and held the magazines up for Sonny to see.

"I can't believe they actually used these!" Sonny freaked as she saw her face across the cover of every magazine Tawni had. It was not a happy freaking either. Sonny saw the pictures of herself cornered down by the paparazzi and the terrified look on her face. She read one of the articles aloud to Tawni, "'Two weeks ago, actress/comedienne, Sonny Monroe, wound up hospitalized after a said onstage accident. As you can tell by the picture, Monroe is in a vulnerable, terrified state. So it was quite the mystery when Monroe's mother, her sole guardian, ran for the hills at the first sign of trouble, leaving Monroe alone and helpless. But I ask you this, dear readers, what could possibly go so wrong during a children's comedy show rehearsal that would erase the memory of a young, resilient sixteen-year-old girl for at least two weeks? When _So Random _director, Marshall Pike, was questioned, he refused to share any further details. All Pike reported was there had been an accident. According to Condor Studio's legal team, there has been no pursuit of justice organized by Monroe's mother and they have not made any plans to compensate Monroe for medical expenses or emotional distress. Again dear readers, I ask, what could have possibly happened to cause this? And why is everyone hiding the condemning details behind this story? I beg you readers, fight for Monroe's justice. If her loved ones won't, we will!'"

"Whoa. That's horrible," Tawni looked at Sonny with a disgusted look. "Read this one!"

Sonny sighed and took the magazine from Tawni. This publication's cover had a snapshot of Sonny being rescued by Chad Dylan Cooper. "'Sonny Monroe, 16, the new face of _So Random_, was struck by a horrible case of amnesia nearly two weeks ago. As you can see in the picture, Monroe displays qualities of fear, terror, and angst. Some may believe these traits are common of amnesiacs, but this reporter thinks differently. As a pervious victim of domestic violence, I understand what it is like to be in constant fear of the one you love. Just as we were about to get some information from Monroe about her _onstage accident_, Hollywood's self-proclaimed Bad Boy, Chad Dylan Cooper, came through and yanked her away. Now we may never know what really happened. Sonny Monroe, we beg you. Do not let those around you convince you to stay with someone who hurts you, just because it is good publicity. Do not allow yourself to be tormented any further. As for Chad Dylan Cooper, I ask you, what did such a sweet, innocent young girl do to deserve such treatment? What are you trying to cover up? Stay tuned, readers, we will get to the bottom of this!'"

"Read this one next!" Tawni handed Sonny yet another magazine.

"I can't, Tawni, I can't take this. They accuse my mother of abandoning me and allowing Chad to beat me. They accuse Chad of beating me up. They think Mr. Pike did something to me and now Condor Studios is trying to cover it up. Where do they get off thinking this way?"

"It's Freedom of the Press, sweetie. Now I know it's ruff, but trust me. You'll be replaced once something bigger and better comes along."

"What's with the lies?" Chad came marching into the room.

"Calm down there, Bad Boy," Tawni tried to refrain from hysterically laughing. His face was beat red with anger and embarrassment. "You don't want anyone to think you're angry right now."

"They can't possibly think I did this to you," he looked at Sonny, completely ignoring the other blonde. "I wasn't anywhere near _So Random_ when it happened. What is wrong with the press these days?"

"You got boring and they needed a new story," Tawni feigned a frown towards him.

"Look, Chad, I don't know what I can do about it, but I'll fix this," Sonny assured.

"You are staying at my house for _four days_. If the press thinks you're in danger when you are with me, it's going to be torture. That's assuming you'll be able to get into my house and the media doesn't organize a protest by barricading our doors."

"We'll just have to show them I'm safe with you. I'm really looking forward to coming over," Sonny smiled as she tried to change the conversation.

Tawni gagged and began to pull Sonny away, "As cute as this is, we have rehearsal to get to."

"But I'm not even a part of rehearsal," Sonny vied for extra time with the boy who made her feel safe – no matter what the magazines said.

"No, but it's my turn to look after you. So while you're under Tawni Patrol, you're not leaving my sight." Tawni pointed to both of her eyes and then back at Sonny.

"They babysit you now?" Chad said rolling his eyes.

"It's more of a comfort thing. This way I don't get abandoned anywhere on accident." Sonny explained as she was whisked away by Tawni. Chad turned to leave the dressing room but heard someone calling him from the end of the hallway.

"Pssst! Chad," Portlyn whispered. "What did you find out?"

"It's just media problems. We'll handle it," Chad guaranteed.

Portlyn stared at Chad's shirt with a cocked head. "Where's the pen camera?"

Chad, also looking down, shrugged, "I must have left it at home. Sorry."

"On accident?"

"Yes, I told myself like a thousand times to put it on, but I kept getting pulled away. Chill, P, we have enough stuff anyways."

***

Two days later, Condor Studios was attacked with protesters. Some extremists blocked the front doors while others surrounded Mrs. Monroe's car as she tried to enter the parking lot. Even though it was a bright, sunny day, the car was covered in a shadow caused by the senseless fans. Sonny could barely hear her mother say goodbye, the hands banging on the hood of the car completely drowned out all noises.

They were both relieved when a security guard – someone much bigger and stronger than Murphy – walked up and led Sonny into the building.

"We've got to do something about this," Marshall said once he arrived. His shirt was hanging out underneath an unbuttoned jacket, his hair seemed as if it was never combed, and his eyes were bloodshot. "I wasn't able to get any sleep last night. There was an endless stream of calls. I finally had to unplug all of my phones just to get a couple hours."

"So what do we do?" Grady asked, wrapping his arm around Sonny. Everyone could see the guilt slowly creep over her face.

"I know!" Zora exploded. "The crowd wants Sonny, right? So I say we sacrifice her to the mob and everything will return to normal."

Marshall took in a deep breath as if he was to respond, and then changed his mind just shaking his head.

"Why don't we just hold a press conference and tell everyone what really happened?" Nico suggested with a more obvious solution.

"We would be risking another protest for Derek to be fired," Marshall explained. "But I suppose we can handle that monster when it crawls out from under the bed. All right, I will talk with Mr. Condor about setting up the conference for this afternoon. You guys start rehearsing the first sketch while I'm gone."

"It's not your fault," Nico assured Sonny once Marshall had left. "The media gets bored every once in a while and decide to start something. They've made their money and everything will be fixed by this afternoon."

"Not everything," Sonny mumbled beneath her breath.

"Anyways, back to the sketch," Tawni focused the group. "I don't think it's funny enough to open the show."

"Tawni, that's what I've been saying since Zora wrote it," Nico argued.

"Well excuse me. Sorry the sketch doesn't meet your standards," Zora battled.

"It's not like we can just take it out now, though," Grady pointed out.

"It's not funny because it's too predictable," Sonny noted. "Everyone knows Grady's going to be hit with the pie."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Tawni asked.

"I know," Sonny's face filled with excitement. "What if when Grady goes down to smell the pie, instead of Nico bumping him from behind, causing Grady to fall into the pie, Grady accidentally throws the pie at Tawni behind the counter." Everyone – except Tawni – laughed and Marshall supported the change when he returned.

"Chad?" Sonny caught a glimpse of the boy walking down the hallway. He was a mess. His shirt was in shreds, he was missing a shoe, and his hair also appeared uncombed.

"Sonny, hi," Chad said nervously.

"What happened to you?" Sonny questioned as the rest of the cast gathered around her.

"Let's just say when it gets out that you supposedly beat up a girl, people don't like you. This is worse than when I shoved the puppy."


	8. Boyfriend?

**Hey guys! I hope you all know how much I appreciate all of you reading this story. It makes staying up late totally worth it! Anyways, sorry I promised a quick update, then took a few extra days to update. Bad memories kind of stalled the romantic flow of this chapter (but YAY nice long Channy chapter!) Just as a heads up, Sonny's fate will soon be revealed, but that means only a couple more chapters. But in the mean time...ENJOY!

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**"Ladies and gentleman," Marshall stood at a podium in front of about twenty microphones, all with the insignia of different news and entertainment channels. The cast of _So Random_ was sitting behind Marshall in metal, fold-up chairs. They could not help but hear some of the foul remarks being thrown at the rest of the cast. They had always dreamed of this much attention, but they never imagined it would be this bad. "I am speaking this afternoon on behalf of Sonny Monroe, one of our very talented, young actresses."

"Why can't she speak for herself?" A man shouted from the crowd.

"As director of _So Random_, I represent all of our cast and crew. Now, recently there has been some bad media towards _So Random_ as well as one of our colleagues, Chad Dylan Cooper. Rumors and accusations have been flying around like crazy and it is time to clear the air and let the truth be known."

"He's doing really well, I have never heard him speak so clearly," Sonny leaned over towards Tawni.

"Almost two weeks ago, what seems like only yesterday and an eternity ago, Sonny Monroe was rehearsing a scene with cast mates, Grady Mitchell and Nico Harris. When the sketch had finished, someone backstage accidentally hit the wrong switch and one of the stage lights fell down on top of Miss Monroe's head, causing injury and the amnesia you all are familiar with."

Sonny touched her head where the staples were placed.

"After doing further investigation, we are thoroughly convinced this was all an accident. No one at all had the intention of harming Miss Monroe. She is a vital part to our operation at _So Random_ and we are feeling the pinch without her. I am now opening for questions."

"Mr. Pike," one called out. "You say this was an accident, but Sonny Monroe was still injured on the job. Why isn't Condor Studios compensating for medical expenses?"

"Great question. This was one of the many rumors that spread like wildfire, but like many of the others, this one is not true. Condor Studios has completely covered all expenses from her hospital stay, to the different tests, and even to follow up doctor's visits. Any expense the Monroe Family spends related to the accident is completely covered by Condor Studios."

"Mr. Pike," Another man stood. "Many of these 'rumors' you talk about say there is something to cover up. Whether the situation involves yourself or Chad Dylan Cooper, why is there suspicion of scandal in the first place?"

"As I explained before, our incident was an accident. If there were scandal involving Miss Monroe, I am unaware of it. What happened was _not_ meant to cover anything up."

"This question is directed towards Sonny Monroe," a female reporter received the microphone. Marshall looked hesitantly back at Sonny. Sonny gave a panicked look back at him.

"Um, I'm not sure if that is a great idea. She does not recall anything about the accident. I don't see what this has to offer."

"What are you, scared she'll say something you don't want her to?" another random voice shouted. "How do we know you're not lying to us now? Let her speak!" Suddenly, the whole audience joined the person by shouting over and over, "Let her speak!"

Marshall beckoned Sonny towards the podium. As Sonny stepped to the microphone, she looked at Marshall, who remained at her side, to ensure he wanted her to speak. Upon his assurance, she spoke quietly, "Hello, I am Sonny Monroe."

"Sonny, how are you feeling, dear?" the female reporter who had initiated the chaos asked her in a much more motherly tone.

"I am fine."

"Sonny, is there anything you can remember about your life before the _accident_?"

"I cannot remember specifics, but I remember Chad Dylan Cooper. That is the only thing."

"Do you think you remember him alone because your brain is trying to warn you about being with him? Is it true that he harmed you?"

"No!" Sonny said with a smile. "Chad has been an amazing friend since my accident. I feel completely comfortable being around him. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Chad is safe to be around."

***

"You're moving?" Tawni looked at Sonny and jumped up and down. Sonny looked down at the heavy suitcase she was towing at her side.

"No, I told you. I'm spending the next few days with the Coopers. My mom is leaving for the airport right now and Chad is going to take me home after the show."

"Now, Sonny, as your friend I must warn you, shacking up with some guy is a very serious matter."

"Tawni, I've already had this talk with my mom. I don't need it again, thank you," Sonny cut her off before she could begin. Tawni sighed in relief.

"Cast of _So Random_ to the set," a voice came over the intercom and broke the tension between the two. Tawni dragged Sonny off to the stage where Sonny took her seat next to Marshall.

"Are you going to help us say goodnight this time?" Marshall leaned over and whispered as the others positioned themselves on the stage.

Sonny turned around and looked at the massive crowd. Some were wearing 'Safety for Sonny' t-shirts. Although Marshall had come out with the public statement declaring the actual details of Sonny's accident, and although the magazines all tried to quickly cover up their faux pas, too many of Sonny's fans had read the articles and quickly began protesting on her behalf. Sonny continued to stare at the massive crowd and swiftly shook her head, "Maybe next week."

"Sonny, this is the third show you're missing. Are you sure you don't just want to tell your fans that you're okay and you hope to be back on the show soon."

"No, no that's okay."

"Are you scared to go up there?" Marshall finally recognized the gleam of stage fright in her eyes.

"Mr. Pike, I know _Sonny_ may love going out there and speaking to the crowds, but I'm a little more hesitant. Maybe next week."

***

"So what did you think of the show?" Sonny asked Chad as he helped carry her things out of her dressing room.

Chad looked over and saw Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora listening in. "Honestly, I fell asleep through most of it. It's just not my thing, Sonny." Sonny and Chad walked out to his convertible. "Besides," he began once they were alone, "It's not as good without you on stage. So I hope you're ready for Family Movie Night."

"Oh, what's the movie?" Sonny asked intrigued.

"I don't know, we usually choose when I get home." The two went between talking and listening to music all the way back to Chad's mansion.

"Whoa, I didn't know your house was so big. Have I ever been here before?" Sonny stared at his home in amazement.

"No, you haven't. Once you enter the Cooper household, you don't forget it," Chad smiled at Sonny.

"Oh good, Chad, you're home!" A woman ran up to Chad and hugged him tightly. "And you must be Sonny." Sonny also received a warm hug by the woman. Still uncomfortable by strangers' touches, Sonny did her best to disguise the discomfort in her face. "Chad, why don't you show Sonny her room and get her set up, and then you two can get settled in for the movie."

Chad nodded and directed Sonny up the long flight of stairs, "So this is your room, mine is just down the hall with the star on the door. Your bathroom is right next door to your room. It's all yours so you can use whatever is in there. Anything in the house is open to you twenty-four seven. Well, except yours truly. I, however, need my beauty sleep and once I'm asleep, there is no waking me."

Sonny giggled. He was so obnoxious, but she liked it. It must have been one of those happy but infuriated moments.

As Sonny sat down on the sofa, Chad strutted over to his large DVD collection and began scanning the videos.

"I thought you said this was _Family_ Movie Night?" Sonny questioned, not seeing any of his family around.

"It is, well, in spirit. My mom has to cook for her many functions she attends and my dad has a ton of paperwork that needs to be filled out. They can hear the movie from where they are at; they're just not actually watching the movie." Chad continued to look over his collection. Whenever he had a girl over for movie night, the first choice was always _A Walk To Remember_. He hate it, but the movie always had the girls crying, needing comforting arms. By the end, every girl believed true love really did exist, and they all believed that true love was with Chad Dylan Cooper. But Chad did not want Sonny crying, she had done enough of that over the past two weeks.

Chad then had to eliminate almost his entire collection of chick flicks, they were all too sad. Yes, he had his collection, but they were for the girls and his mother. He looked over his comedy videos, but even those had sad moments. He looked at the movies he was in, but decided against those as well – they were not right for Sonny. Since when was choosing a movie so hard?

Finally, Chad found the only two movies he had that were funny but did not have any heartbreaking scenes. "Okay," he raced over to the sofa. "It's between _SpongeBob Squarepants: The Movie_ and _Dodgeball_." Sonny considered for a moment before finally pointing at _Dodgeball_. It seemed a little more mature.

Throughout the movie, Chad found Sonny cracking up at even the vaguest of jokes. He had missed that laugh so much. As loud and obnoxious as it was, Sonny lived in that laugh. It was as if the old Sonny had returned for a moment of comedy. He knew she was comfortable in her surroundings. Chad found another thing as well. He found, when the movie was finished, his arm around her shoulder and her leaning against him slightly.

"Chad, that was a great choice," Sonny yawned.

"Hey, do you want to go for a bike ride tomorrow?" Chad sat up, inconspicuously removing his arm.

"I don't have my bike," Sonny replied.

Chad laughed to himself. "No, no, no. I mean my bike – my motorcycle. She's big enough for the both of us. The weather is supposed to be nice all day tomorrow, and we both have the day off. I figure we could head out in the morning and make it out to Look Out Mountain where we can have lunch. Then we could head back and do whatever for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, sounds like fun," Sonny smiled and walked off to her room.

"You didn't take her downstairs to the home theater? Chad, do you know how much we paid for that room?"

"Mom, I just wanted Sonny to be cozier," Chad whispered, hinting for his mother to do the same.

"Cozier with you?" Mrs. Cooper formed a sly grin across her face.

"No! I told Sonny it was Family Movie Night."

"Why would you tell her that? You know we're always too busy to have a Family Movie Night."

"I know, but Sonny likes that kind of corny stuff and I thought she would be more comfortable this way." Mrs. Cooper stared suspiciously at her son. He was not making much sense, but it was too late for her to worry about it now.

***

"Good morning, Mrs. Cooper," Sonny entered the kitchen, cleaned and prepped for the day, to an amazing smell of pancakes and sausage. "This smells fantastic!"

"Aw, thank you, dear. I make it every morning, yet Chad will never eat any of it. He has his own _special_ breakfast choice," Mrs. Cooper snickered as if it there had been a hidden meaning in her comment.

"Where is Chad? I haven't seen him all morning."

"Chad is working out in the gym. He thinks waking up way early to work out makes him manlier." Sonny laughed with her this time.

"Good morning!" Chad bounced in and kissed his mother on the cheek. Sonny noticed how Chad's shirt was covered in sweat, but she did not really seem to care. He was cute in his natural setting.

Mrs. Cooper set a plate of food down for Sonny as Chad ran to the cupboard and grabbed a bowl, spoon, and box of Lucky Charms.

"Lucky Charms?" Sonny began to understand why Mrs. Cooper was laughing earlier. "Really, Chad?"

"Hey, I'll admit it. The marshmallows have gotten much smaller, but they sure pack more of them in now," Chad shoved a spoonful of wet, cereal into his mouth.

"See, manly," Mrs. Cooper whispered into Sonny's ear.

***

"You two be safe," Mr. Cooper ordered that afternoon. "I don't want any calls saying something has happened. Understand?"

"Yes, Dad, can we go, please?" Chad begged. His father nodded and Chad led Sonny around back to where his motorcycle was placed. Chad mounted the bike first and Sonny followed. Both of them put a helmet on their heads and Chad revved the engine. "Hang on!" He ordered. But as Sonny's hands slid around his stomach, Chad's tight abs got even tighter.

Sonny quickly let go when she felt his reaction. "Was I not supposed to do that?" She worried.

"No, you're fine. You're hands are…just a bit cold. That's all," Chad lied. She slid her hands back around his center and they took off.

The wind blew Sonny's hair back as Chad continued to speed up his motorcycle, making Sonny hold onto his waist tighter and tighter.

When they finally reached the apex of Lookout Mountain, both got off the bike and looked around.

"It's beautiful, but," Sonny began, "why is no one else up here?"

"It's more of a nighttime hangout, if you know what I mean."

"How did you keep the paparazzi from following us?"

"I sent one of my body doubles into town on a date with some mystery blonde. The paparazzi should be all over him…I mean me." Chad stared at Sonny. They were finally alone without anyone telling them what to do or how to act. The pen was tucked away in his pocket, but it was off and he had no intention of bringing it out.

"Uh, Chad," Sonny poked him gently, drawing him out of his small daze. "I think we forgot something."

"What?" Chad suddenly started to worry. He put his hand up to his hair, but it was perfect like always, he dropped his hands to his chest and thighs, but he was fully dressed in his perfect clothing, he raised his hand over his mouth, but his breath was perfectly minted, he looked over at Sonny and she was...perfect. He could not figure out what they had forgotten.

"The food," Sonny explained, stifling a laugh. "We left the picnic basket at your house."

Chad slapped his forehead, "You have got to be kidding me."

"But who needs to eat," Sonny tried to improve their situation. "We can just…sit here…and enjoy the beautiful scenery." Sonny sat on the bare ground at the edge of the cliff and looked over into the distance.

"Sonny, can I ask you a question?" Chad sat down next to her after dusting the ground off. Sonny nodded her head, curious of the question. "What is it like? What is it like to not remember anything? To not have a past?" Sonny looked downwards, thinking over her answer. "You know what? Forget I asked – it's not important."

"It's scary," Sonny replied instantly. "It's like being thrown into a strange place, but instead of everyone treating you like the new kid, it's like you're supposed to know exactly what's going on. What's worse is I feel like the longer I go without any memories, the more time I have to become a totally different person. I'm afraid my current lifestyle is going to take over my mind and not leave any space for my old memories. For instance, I got lost on the way to Officer Murphy's office, right? Well, now I know how to get to his office after Mr. Pike showed me one afternoon. What if I get all of my memories back and I don't even know it?"

"Trust me, you'll know," Chad assured.

"I bet this place is even more beautiful at night, with the stars and all. It's a shame you can't see the stars in the city."

"I never really understood why people liked looking at stars," he shrugged. "They're so far away and all you can see are little pinpoint dots. It's not much to look at."

"I think," Sonny bit her lip, "I think it's the idea that there is so much more out there. We are so small to the whole story. Who knows what's out there?"

"What, do you mean like aliens?" Chad snickered.

"Maybe. It'd be kind of cool if there were," Sonny continued to stare over the side.

"I don't know, Sonny. I don't know if I could handle any more fans."

Sonny nudged Chad softly, but upon doing so, he stomach rumbled softly.

"Maybe we should go get something to eat," she suggested.

"You're right," Chad stood and extended his hand to help her up. "Where to?"

"Sonny?" A male's voice cracked from around the motorcycle. "Sonny, it is you!" the brown-hair, green-eye boy ran up and swallowed her in a hug. "Sonny, I've missed you so much!" He put both of his hands on her face and brushed the hair from her eyes. "I know I've been a bad boyfriend, and I haven't called in like a month, will you forgive me?"

"B-Boyfriend?" Sonny pulled away from his arms. She leaned back to Chad who was in shock. "I didn't know I had a boyfriend," she whispered to Chad.

"I didn't know you did either," Chad said a bit louder. Unfortunately, the boy heard Chad.

"Well did it ever hit you, pretty boy, that my beautiful girl didn't tell you?" the boy returned his attention to Sonny. "How have you been baby? God, I've missed you so much." The boy drew Sonny into another uncomfortable hug.

Sonny was caught in an uncomfortable spot. She did not want to tick off the boys she was apparently dating, but she did not like the lack of personal space at the moment.

"Wait, I do not even know who you are," Sonny finally admitted.

"Sonny, you've got to be kidding me. It's me, Charlie; we've been together for over six months. How do you not know who I am?"

"There…there was an accident. I lost my memory," Sonny squeaked.

"Oh, baby," Charlie wrapped his arm around her head, pulling her even closer to him. "I really should have called. I'm so sorry; I've been such a bad boyfriend. Well, will these make up for it?" he ran back to his car, which must have arrived while Sonny and Chad were talking. When Charlie returned, he held a bouquet consisting of twelve white roses, twelve pink roses, and twelve red roses. "Can we go on a walk? There's obviously a lot we need to discuss."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Chad finally broke through. "It's my day to watch her, and she's not going anywhere."

"Oh, so now _you're_ my babysitter?" Sonny flashed him a smile. "_Charlie_, I would like to have a chat with you, but Chad's right. I do need to stay with him. He's been trained on what to do if anything were to happen to me. Hey, Chad and I were just about to leave for lunch, why don't you follow us and join us for a bite to eat?"

"What? No," both boys declared in unison.

"Why not?"

"Because, baby," Charlie beat Chad, "I was hoping you and I could have some alone time, just you and me."

"Sonny, you don't even know this guy – _I_ don't even know this guy. Why would you want to have lunch with him?" Chad argued.

"Okay, sweetie," Charlie grabbed Sonny's hands. "I'll go to lunch with you guys." Chad grit his teeth together. The only reason this guy was assenting to join them was because Chad had said no. "But first," Charlie rested his hand on Sonny's head and stroked her hair down until his hand was on her shoulder. "Can I please just have a small kiss? I've been filming in the desert for the last five months with an all male cast and crew. I've missed those soft, delicate lips of yours. Please, baby, one kiss?"

"I don't know," Sonny stuttered.

"Please."

"She said no," Chad stormed.

"She said 'I don't know,'" Charlie corrected.

"Yeah, I don't know, as in I do not know, and _no_ is in not."

"Sonny, I love you so much. Please don't make me get down on my hands and knees to beg for the kiss. But for you, I will." Sonny stared at the thirty-six roses in her hands. They were gorgeous, and he obviously put a lot of thought, time, and money into the gift.

"Fine, one kiss," Sonny gulped. "But then we are going into town and getting this all straightened out."

Chad's spine ran cold as he saw this strange boy move in towards Sonny. What was she thinking? Suddenly, by some strange power, Chad's attention was pulled towards the bushes, where he saw a sickening, familiar black object. "Sonny, stop!" Chad shouted, just before her lips touched Charlie's. Sonny pulled away against Charlie's firm grip. Chad rushed over and pushed the two apart before marching over to the bushes and ripped a person, armed with a high-tech camera, from the shrub.

"What's going on?" Sonny muttered as Chad pushed the camera holder next to Charlie.

"Both of you leave, now. I can't believe you two. How could anyone be as cruel as to take advantage of someone when she's in that state of mind? You people make me sick," Chad spit out his words.

"Please, it's not like you're not doing it. You're taking advantage of her, just as much as I was." Charlie declared, eyeing the two of them. "Let's go, Aaron. We don't need this." Charlie attempted to walk back to his car.

"You don't need this? _You_ don't need this? What about Sonny? Like she really needs this? I should have you two arrested."

"What we did isn't a crime," Aaron growled. "Bye, Sonny." Aaron flashed her a dirty smile as Charlie walked up to her and snatched the roses from her hands. The two quickly returned to the car and raced down the mountain.

"I thought Nico said the paparazzi were done tormenting me. He said that they made their money off of the last story and they weren't going to bother me again," Sonny choked back every tear.

"Those weren't paparazzi. Just a couple of idiots who wanted their fifteen minutes of fame. Come on, let's go get some food. I'm starving." Chad helped Sonny onto his motorcycle, and the two gently glided down the mountainside.

***

That evening, Sonny sat in the room she had been given, looking over a cookbook Mrs. Cooper had let her read. When she had heard about Sonny's encounter with the poser, Mrs. Cooper's heart almost broke in half. All evening, she had been pampering Sonny with warm food, compliments, and a constant stream of hot chocolate.

"Hey," Chad entered her room after a small knock.

"Hey," Sonny replied.

"I feel really bad about what happened earlier today, so I got you a little something," Chad began to blush, considering right at the last moment he was making a mistake.

"Oh, Chad," Sonny gasped when four dozen red, pink, white, and blue tulips were handed over to her in a crystal vase. "They're amazing. Thank you so much, Chad. You're incredible."

"Tell me something I don't know," Chad looked down at her. "Good night, Sonny."

"Good night, Chad."

Chad left the room, closed her door, and entered his room. When he lay down on his bed, his heart was filled with joy from making her smile before she fell asleep. Everything seemed to be working, but then Charlie's words flew into his head and plagued every thought. _Please, it's not like you're not doing it_._ You're taking advantage of her, just as much as I was._


	9. Party Crashers

**As always, I love you all for reading!  
Enjoy!!!**

* * *

"You should have seen Charlie's face yesterday when he realized you found Aaron. I think he was afraid you were about to kill them both," Sonny laughed as Chad's convertible raced down the freeway. The top was down, letting the crisp morning air chill them both. Chad knew by the time they reached the studio, the hot sun would be up, but for now, they were to deal with the cold.

"I _should have_ killed them both. I still can't believe there are people out there who would do something that low," Chad seethed. "They did go running with their tails between their legs, though. Why were you going to kiss him anyway? You didn't even know him. It's not like you."

"I was hoping," Sonny sighed, "that kissing the person I loved would trigger my memories. I know, it's crazy."

"It's not that crazy. That would actually make a really good episode of _Mackenzie Falls_ one day. I'll have to suggest it to the writers. I'll meet you right here later, okay?" Chad pulled up to Studio Three. Sonny nodded and waved goodbye as Chad found a parking space.

***

"Just for a couple days," Portlyn begged Chad offstage. "My parents are only going to be gone for a couple of days. Can I please just crash at your place? You're letting Little Miss Sunshine stay."

"Okay, first of all, it was my parents who said she could. Besides, you're perfectly capable of staying home alone," Chad attempted to convince her to stay away.

"Isn't she?"

"No. Sonny is too much at risk of fainting or blacking out, or bleeding through her wound. She needs twenty-four seven supervision." Chad tried to turn away, acting like he was looking over the food at the catering table.

"Well, that's funny, because I do too!" Portlyn skipped around to his other side.

"What are you talking about, Portlyn?"

"Do you remember that really great party I threw last time my parents left town?" Chad nodded. "Well, apparently, my little brother can't keep a secret. So now my parents are taking him to some, I don't know, I think the National Boy Scouts Association is awarding him, or something. Anyway, I'm not allowed to be home alone. So it's either I stay with you, or have Nana Davis come babysit. I won't suffer through another bite of her Potluck Surprise, Chad Dylan Cooper," Portlyn grabbed Chad's tie before putting her hands on her head and whimpering. "I can't do it!"

"Okay, you can stay at my place," Chad finally relented.

"Thank you, Chad!" Portlyn's mood instantly brightened as she wrapped her arms around Chad.

"Hey, we _Mackenzie Falls_ actors have to look after each other."

***

Sonny smiled when she noticed Chad's convertible come around the corner. "Hey, Chad. Oh hey…" Sonny looked at Portlyn and tried to focus.

"It's Portlyn," the actress sitting in the backseat fumed on the inside.

"Portlyn's going to be staying with us. Her parents are out of town too," Chad explained as Sonny climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Cool, it will be like one big slumber party!" Sonny smiled. "So what's on the agenda for tonight?"

"Well," Chad hesitated. "Portlyn and I were actually going to run some lines. We're struggling with the one scene. Not that _I_ ever struggle with scenes, but the director keeps changing the lines and he practically re-wrote the entire part right before he left. We need to have the lines rememorized by tomorrow morning. But I'm sure you could help my mom cook or something if you wanted to."

***

"So have you gotten anything from her?" Portlyn asked eagerly once she and Chad were alone in his room.

"I haven't been wearing the pen. Sorry, P. I'm just not used to wearing it at home. But there hasn't been anything useful anyway."

"Chad Dylan Cooper, what am I going to do with you?" Portlyn shook her head. "I just can't believe how clingy she is. Doesn't she drive you crazy?"

"Not really," Chad shrugged. "She's just scared."

"Which is good, because clingy, scared girls like to spill their most inner thoughts." Portlyn shoved the pen at Chad. "Just make sure you have it on when it counts."

***

"Sonny, these muffins look and smell amazing! The ladies at the country club are going to love them. Thank you for helping me," Mrs. Cooper thanked. "I am so used to cooking alone. It was so nice having you in here with me tonight."

"No thank you, Mrs. Cooper. It was a gift getting to see your culinary skills in action. Hopefully we can do it again before I go back home," Sonny wished.

"I hope so, Sonny. You should probably go run off to bed now. It's late."

"You're right, good night, Mrs. Cooper. And thanks again for letting me stay here." Sonny ran up the stairs and to the guest room she had been assigned to. When she passed Chad's room, she could not hear any talking, so she assumed Chad had already gone to bed. Looking down to the end of the long hallway, she saw Portlyn putting curlers into her hair. Sonny pulled off her clothing gently and slipped into her silk, blue pajamas. She grabbed her bathroom bag and tip-toed into the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Sonny pulled out the bottle of antibiotic liquid and quietly poured it onto the washcloth her mother had designated. Sonny jammed her eyes shut as she pressed the washcloth to the top of her head. Sonny had hoped by this time, the medicine should not hurt as badly as it had when she began using it – but it did. The darn staples would not stay in her head and often the wound reopened before anyone realized she was bleeding. Marshall was taking her to Dr. Chris' office for new staples almost twice a week.

Gathering her things, Sonny left the bathroom. She stared intently at the ground, wishing the pain away, when she bumped into a memorable body. "Sorry, Chad," she gasped.

"It's cool, Monroe," Chad smiled. "Are you okay? Were you crying?" He pushed a single tear from her cheek.

"Yes, but I'm okay, really. I just had to apply my medication. You remember."

"Oh, yeah – that liquid stuff. That stinks, I'm sorry, Sonny." Chad looked down at the girl in her pajamas. She was especially cute in a less formal setting. "Goodnight, Monroe." Chad let Sonny pass him. She returned to her room and fell asleep in the middle of her nightly prayer for the return of her memory.

Chad, on the other hand, walked around his house for a while, trying to find an outlet from his thoughts. He hopped down the steps to the basement where there was a full basketball court laid out. He found the right ball in the storage room and began to throw it at the hoop, making it every time.

"Trouble sleeping?" Mr. Cooper came through the doorway and caught the basketball as it fell through the net. "Too much estrogen up there?" he joked.

"Dad, how do you know if you like someone?" Chad asked, ignoring his father's humor.

Mr. Cooper looked at Chad suspiciously, "The real question is, how do you not know? Why? Who do you think you like?"

"Dad, I didn't say I actually liked someone. It's just a question. How did you know you were in love with mom?"

"Every time I saw her smile, my innards felt like they were tying themselves in a knot, and every time I saw her cry, I felt guilty just for allowing her to get that way. I never had to explain myself to her. She understands me so well; she knows what I'm thinking without ever having to say something. Trust me, Chad, when you like a girl, you'll know."

Chad shot the ball a few more times, thinking about what his father had said.

"You really do need to get to bed, though," Mr. Cooper insisted. "You're no good when you are sleep deprived."

Chad laughed and agreed. The two left the basement together and parted ways for the evening.

***

"Good morning, Mrs. Cooper," Sonny floated into the kitchen. "This smells amazing, once again." Mrs. Cooper smiled at Sonny's enthusiasm and sincerity. She set down a plate in front of Sonny as Chad and Portlyn entered the kitchen simultaneously. Chad grabbed for his box of Lucky Charm and Portlyn grabbed a mere apple from the counter.

"Portlyn, what would you like," Mrs. Cooper displayed the many breakfast choices.

Portlyn eyed over the food selections, and even though she was dying for real food, she replied, "No thank you, Mrs. Cooper. I'm kind of on this diet right now, and there's no way I could fit that into my daily intake allowance." Mrs. Cooper nodded in understanding – it was not the first time Chad was friends with a girl who barely at enough. "My dietitian said he wanted me to lose at least another inch before awards season. That way, I'll be able to look my best on the red carpet."

"Portlyn, darling, there isn't an inch on you to lose," Mrs. Cooper claimed.

"Aw, thank you! But really, I just can't digest that much."

Sonny poked at the food on her plate. She had never thought of how much food she was eating at the Coopers. It seemed as if at that moment, all eyes were on Sonny and the amount of food she had on her plate.

Chad instantly noticed Sonny's sudden discomfort, poured the cereal back into the box, and grabbed a plate, "Load me up mom!" Chad watched as his mom, with an exuberant grin, scoop eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns onto his plate.

"This is new," she giggled. Chad watched intently to ensure he had more on his plate than Sonny did. "Thank you," Mrs. Cooper whispered in her son's ear. Chad was not the only one to notice Sonny become self-conscious. Chad nodded and sat down between the two girls.

***

When Tawni entered their dressing room that morning, she noticed Sonny standing in front of the mirror. Sonny was twisting herself in different directions with her hands set on her stomach.

"Don't even start with that," Tawni ordered, immediately recognizing the signs of self-awareness. "You're not fat, Sonny. Who's making you think otherwise?"

"Well," Sonny contemplated whether or not to explain. "Mrs. Cooper makes these amazing breakfasts and I wasn't thinking about how much I was eating until this morning when Portlyn started talking about her dietitian, and…"

"Of course it was Portlyn," Tawni stopped her. "Sonny, listen. Girls like Portlyn like to talk about all the diets they go on during the year, but when they get home, all they do is binge. She just likes to make herself feel better by making everyone else self-conscious. So step away from the mirror before I make you."

***

"This is for you," Portlyn tossed a plain, white bikini at Sonny when she entered the car that afternoon.

"What's this for? Are we going swimming?" Sonny looked at the two of them confused.

"Yeah, there's a pool in my basement. Portlyn and I were thinking we'd have a pool party between the three of us. I hope that's your size," Chad replied.

"It's perfect," Sonny quickly replied quickly.

"Are you okay?" Chad looked at Sonny quickly before returning his attention to the road. "You're kind of pale."

"I think it was just a long day. I'm fine," Sonny insisted, putting her hand to her head.

"Are you sure?" Chad snuck another look. Sonny nodded and smiled back at him. The ride back to Chad's mansion was done in silence. Sonny was uncomfortably tired, Chad was focused on driving in the heavy traffic, and Portlyn was thinking about the color she wanted for the manicure she was getting that weekend.

The food Mrs. Cooper had prepared for them seemed to make Sonny feel better, so she shrugged it off that her body had just had enough of the cafeteria food. The three teens all changed into their bathing suits and walked down the stairs, through the basketball court, and into the pool room together.

"Last one in is a rotten egg!" Chad shouted as he did a cannon ball into the cold, blue water. Portlyn followed with a graceful dive and Sonny carefully walked down the stairs at one end of the pool to slowly adjust to the temperature of the water.

Portlyn started to splash water at Chad who began splashing her back. Sonny found it funny how short tempered Chad was. It seemed to be so easy to set him off. She began to swim towards them to join the fight as a wave of nausea attacked her entire body.

"Chad, doesn't this remind you of that scene between Mackenzie and Chloe?" Portlyn stopped splashing for a moment.

"Yeah, that was such an awkward day! I swear we were filming that pool make out scene all day long! I was so pruned when we finally got out," Chad laughed, remembering the day.

"Why did you have to do so many takes again?"

"We kept slipping on the pool tile and ruining the shot."

"Hey, Chad," Sonny quietly interrupted. "I'm not feeling so great. I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Oh," Chad swam over to her near the shallow end. "Do you want me to get my mom or walk you to your room?"

"No," Sonny shook her head but forced a smile to convince him she was okay. "I'll be fine. I think I'm just _really _tired. Sorry for being such a party pooper." Chad watched Sonny slowly walk out of the pool, but his head was quickly shoved under the water by Portlyn, who had crept up behind him, causing him to lose focus on Sonny.

"Portlyn," Chad growled as he wiped the water from his eyes and shook his hair out like a wet dog. Cornering her down, Chad reached out, grabbed her, lifted her above the water's surface, and just as he was about to submerge her, they both heard a huge splash.

Chad dropped Portlyn into the water as he spun around. Red was the first thing to catch his eye, then he saw the rest.


	10. One In A Billion

**:) Sorry about the cliffy, I couldn't resist. I tried to update last night, but it was like, 3 AM and I had a raging headache so I had to stop and go to bed. Thank you for the AMAZING response - I love you all.  
Enjoy

* * *

**_Chad dropped Portlyn into the water as he spun around. Red was the first thing to catch his eye, then he saw the rest._

***

"Go get my parents," Chad ordered before frantically swimming over to the deeper end. Sonny lay face down in the water and her body was slowly beginning to sink under, a red stream of blood seeping from her head. Chad pumped his arms as fast as he could, but the pool now seemed so long. She seemed to get further and further away with every stroke.

Portlyn sat for only a second in shock before jumping out of the pool and running to find Chad's parents, dripping wet. She was afraid for a moment she would slip on the puddles she was making, but the thought quickly vanished as she increased her speed. Peaking the staircase, Portlyn just began shouting for one of the two adults while running back and forth trying to locate one of them.

When Chad finally reached Sonny, the only part of her left at the surface was her hair, but thankfully, her arm was high enough that he could grab it and pull her up. Trying his best to keep her head above the water, he carefully held her in one arm while paddling with the other and kicking with his legs. Chad used all of his strength to hoist her up onto the edge of the pool. He would have been able to lift her out much easier if he had something to stand on, but he was treading water. Chad put his hands on the edge and pulled himself out next to her.

"Sonny, Sonny, look at me," he begged with a commanding tone. When she did not respond, he bent down in front of her head – she was not breathing. He put his fingers to her throat – she did have a pulse. He checked again for breaths, but they did not exist. Tilting her chin up and pinching her nose, he administered two rescue breaths, but she still was not breathing and her lips were turning blue. Her pulse still flowed, so he gave another breath and another five seconds later. Repeating the rescue breathing three times, he almost gave up, but miraculously, Sonny's body went into a coughing spasm, expelling all of the water from her lungs. When the coughing subsided, a horrifying silence consumed her.

Now that she was breathing, Chad looked the fresh gash she had on her forehead. Using his bare hand, he applied pressure to the wound until his parents arrived with Portlyn. "Chad, go get dressed," Mrs. Cooper ordered, handing him a towel.

"But…" Chad argued.

"Chad!" Mr. Cooper shouted, placing a cloth where Sonny was bleeding. "Your mother told you to leave." Chad looked at Sonny for one more moment, and then hurried to his room. Portlyn followed close behind him. Mr. Cooper laid the now red cloth on the ground, wrapped Sonny's limp body in a fluffy white towel, and lifted her in his arms to carry her away from the pool. No one bothered to look back at the red streaks in the pool or the red patches on the side as Mrs. Cooper shut the pool lights off.

"Has anyone called the ambulance?" Chad raced into the living room, now fully dressed again.

"We're not calling an ambulance," Mr. Cooper declared as he put on a jacket and his work boots.

"What? Why not?" Chad panicked. "We can't let her die!"

"Your father and I are driving her to the hospital incognito," Mrs. Cooper explained further. "We could not handle it if the media got word that she was hurt during her stay here."

"I'm coming then," Chad went to find his sweatshirt.

"No!" Mr. Cooper stormed. He had very little time to argue with his hard-headed son, so he had to make his point up front. "You and Portlyn are going to stay here. If the press sees you even near the hospital, they're going to think something is up. You're staying here, no further questions." Mr. Cooper shuffled over to Sonny's body, which was lying on the sofa, and cradled her in his arms. Mrs. Cooper led him through three doors and out into the garage.

Mrs. Cooper sat in the back seat with Sonny's head resting on her lap. She had been a certified nurse before Chad became famous, so she was able to monitor Sonny's vitals while Mr. Cooper sped down the freeway to the hospital. She held a new cloth the cut on her head which seemed to continue bleeding, no matter what she did.

As the car pulled up to the emergency entrance, Mr. Cooper switched duties with Mrs. Cooper as he carried Sonny inside, ushered by a security guard, and she parked the car.

To Mr. Cooper's relief, the first doctor who passed by them seemed to recognize the pale face buried beneath the voluminous white towel.

"Oh God," the doctor quickly approached him. "Mr. Cooper, right?" Chad's dad nodded as the doctor called nurses over with a bed for Sonny. The nurses rushed Sonny away into her own room. "Dr. Chris," he extended his hand as a greeting. "I have been Sonny's primary physician over the last few weeks. Please follow me." Dr. Chris led Mr. Cooper into Sonny's room and immediately began evaluating her. "Mr. Cooper, I need to know step by step what happened." Dr. Chris pulled Sonny's eyelid up while shining a light to see her pupils contract.

"I don't know," he confessed. "Chad, my son, and his friend were the only two who saw what happened."

"Is Chad here?" Dr. Chris asked. Mr. Cooper shook his head no. "Okay, I need you to call him and get every detail. I need to know everything."

***

"Dad," Chad jumped up from the sofa when his parents finally returned home around two in the morning. "How is she? Is she okay?"

Mr. Cooper wearily looked across the room at Portlyn who had fallen asleep on the lazy-boy chair, "She's fine. They have her stabilized and her vitals are normal. She still hasn't awakened, though. But she will be perfectly okay."

"When are they releasing her?"

"Dr. Chris wanted Sonny to stay at the hospital until her mother returns from her business trip. We did have to call her, but she wasn't in a meeting and she won't have to come home."

"I should have known," Chad sank back down into the sofa. "There were so many signs."

"Chad, you're not a doctor, you couldn't have known," Mrs. Cooper assured.

"So what happened?" Chad looked between his two parents for an answer.

"Well, we don't know for sure, but based on what you told us and what Dr. Chris observed, this is what he thinks happened," Mrs. Cooper sat down next to her son. "Dr. Chris received the results from Sonny's last CT scan just this evening. He said they found scar tissue around the area of her injury, and it was probably the leading reason her staples keep coming out – the more scar tissue growing, the bigger the size of her head gets. The scar tissue, however, was pressing up against Sonny's brain, causing her to feel nauseous all evening. Finally when she had enough and was going to bed, simply scurrying from the pool caused her to black out. But upon doing that, she hit her head again on the side of the pool before plunging into the water. Her new injury is bad, but not nearly as severe as having a massive camera plummet onto her head. A few stitches and a short surgery and she'll be perfectly okay."

"Surgery?" Chad jumped back.

"Yes, they must remove the scar tissue from her head. It poses too much of a risk to leave it there. Apparently Dr. Chris was on his way to call Mrs. Monroe when we entered. Chad, she's going to be all right."

"No, no she's not," Chad stood and marched away to his room.

***

"Chad, they are beautiful!" Sonny giggled sitting her hospital bed, looking down at the flowers Chad brought her two days later. "Thank you."

"Hey, it's my way of saying I'm sorry for not recognizing your distress."

"Chad, you've said you're sorry six times now. I don't blame you. It's not your fault."

"Sonny!" a somewhat familiar voice called from the doorway. Mrs. Monroe burst through the door and grabbed her daughter in a hug. Chad back up towards the window and watched the emotional reunion. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you."

"It's okay!" Sonny laughed, _everyone_ – Chad, her mother, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, Dr. Chris – was saying they were sorry. "I'm fine, mom, really. Although, there is something I haven't told either of you." Sonny looked down at the bed.

"What is it, Sonny? You can tell me."

"Dr. Chris was telling me, that because of the pressure applied on my brain," Sonny inhaled deeply, preparing herself for breaking the news. "Because of the pressure applied on my brain, Dr. Chris said I only have about one in a billion chance of regaining my memory."

Chad sighed and marched out of the room.

"Sonny, it's okay. Things will seem normal one day and we'll take each day one at a time," Connie held her daughter close.

***

"Chad, what is it?" Tawni jumped out of Chad's path before getting knocked over.

"It's Sonny. She's not going to get her memory back. I don't know why I ever hoped she would. You Randoms can't ever do anything right, can you? Just, stay out of my way," Chad stomped away and back to his own studio.

***

"Connie, again, we are so sorry for what happened," Mrs. Cooper sat in the waiting room with Mrs. Monroe the following morning. "You trusted her with us, and look what happened."

"It's not your fault," Mrs. Monroe shook her head with a smile. "Dr. Chris said that no matter where she was that night, she was going to black out. I'm sorry that it was so traumatic for your family. Thank you, though, for getting her to the hospital so quickly and not letting the press have another field day with the situation. I don't think we could handle it again."

"I'm ready, mom," Sonny came out of her room in a wheelchair pushed by one of her nurses. "Can we please go home? Hi, Mrs. Cooper."

"Hi, Sonny. How are you feeling?" Chad's mother stood along with Connie.

"I'm great!" Sonny smiled.

"The ladies all loved the muffins you made. I think they enjoyed them more than when I make them."

Connie looked at her daughter in the clothing she had bought on her business trip. The bathing suit Sonny arrived in had somehow disappeared in the chaos of her surgery. She did not have any complications, but without a legal guardian present, prepping her for the surgery took an eternity.

"Well I couldn't have done it without your amazing recipe! Is Chad here?"

"Sorry, Sonny, he had filming today," Mrs. Cooper said with a frown. Chad had not mentioned Sonny once over the last twenty-four hours and when she had offered to bring him along to the hospital, he refused saying he and Portlyn were having lunch together, but they would not be filming until the afternoon.

***

"Marshall, I have great news!" Tawni burst into his office that morning.

"What?" Marshall stood in excitement.

"It's official, Sonny's not getting her memory back. Isn't that great?" Tawni's face was glowing with enthusiasm.

"Tawni, that's _horrible_. How could you say something like that?"

"No, Marshall, now that we don't have to worry about plugging her mind up with useless nonsense, she can come back on the show. We can do the 'Check-It-Out Girls!' This is the best thing that could have happened!" Tawni looked at Marshall's not so enthused face. "Well, besides her getting her memory back, that is. So can she come back on the show?" Tawni pushed.

"I'm going to have to speak with her, her mother, and her doctor. Thank you for letting me know, Tawni." Marshall sighed and rubbed his eyes once Tawni had skipped out of the office. Even if it was okay for Sonny to come back on the show, there was no guarantee she was still going to be as funny as before. He worried about her stage fright and new acting skill. On one hand, she might be just as good as before, on the other, she might not be able to do anything at all.

***

"What are you so mad about?" Tawni passed Chad in the hallway.

"What are you so happy about?" he quickly returned and tried to keep walking.

"I asked you first."

"I'm not mad, okay? Now just leave me alone."

"Sonny may be coming back on the show."

"Congratulations. Now there's one more annoying voice on the television."

"This is about her not getting her memory back. Isn't it?" Tawni finally understood. "Well, I hope you're happy, because this is exactly what you wanted, remember? You liked Sonny better without her memory. Now we're stuck with her like this. You got your wish."

"Shut up," Chad mumbled as he walked away.

"You can't keep running, Chad. The truth is going to catch up to you sooner or later!"

"What was that about?" Zora popped out of the recycling bin.

"Chad's denying something to himself, and it has to do with Sonny."


	11. The Best Actor Ever

**Wow, I don't think I've ever had my heart pounding so heart after finishing a chapter. I was so close to pulling an all-nighter just so I could finish this chapter for you guys. One word - CHANNY! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has read and especially to the reviewers. Just knowing you all are liking the story so much gives an incredible feeling.  
Enjoy!!!

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**

"Chad," Sonny discovered him sitting alone in the cafeteria the following day. "I have really great news." Sonny sat down opposite from him. "Mr. Pike, my mom, and Dr. Chris all said I could rejoin the show if I wanted to. Of course I can't do it this week, but next week I might be back on television! Isn't that awesome?"

"Sure, Sonny," Chad kept his head down, focusing on an incoming text message.

"Are you okay? You seem upset about something."

"I'm fine," Chad finally looked up at Sonny. "I was just hoping I could have lunch alone today."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry, Chad," Sonny stood to return to her friends. "I'll see you later then?"

"Probably not." Chad stood also and left the cafeteria.

She tried not to allow his mood to consume her thoughts that afternoon. Perhaps he just needed to be alone with his own thoughts. Everyone needs that alone time.

***

Once Marshall had dismissed everyone from the set that evening, Sonny pulled out her phone and dialed Chad. The phone rang three times and went into his voicemail. She thought it was strange. His phone usually rang at least seven times before falling to the automatic message. Hanging up before the message tone, Sonny tried calling him again. But now it only rang twice before his voicemail picked up.

"He wouldn't hit the 'ignore' button on me," Sonny tried to convince herself. She knew Chad always had his phone turned off during rehearsal and filming, so the phone would only have rung once and then voicemail if he was still busy. "I'm probably thinking too much into this," Sonny shrugged it off as her mom pulled up to the doors.

"Hey, sweetie. How was your day?" Connie smiled to her daughter as she pulled away.

"Great," Sonny smiled, immediately forgetting Chad. "Mr. Pike said I could return to the show if I wanted to."

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm kind of scared I'll freeze up if I get in front of all those people while knowing the _entire_ world is watching, but at the same time, how can I say no to a part on a television show? Who am I kidding? I'm going to say yes."

"Well, I'm sorry I have to spoil your good news, but I have some bad news to share." Mrs. Monroe sighed. "I spoke with Dr. Chris today. I was asking him about medications, check-ups, and a rough timeline of the next year when he mentioned your driving license. I'm sorry honey, but you won't be able to drive again for six months, and then you can retest for a permit. But you can only drive with me present then for another three months before you can retest for your full license. Dr. Chris will also have to agree you're capable of driving safely."

"Oh, that's it?" Sonny sighed with relief. "I thought you were going to say I was dying." Sonny gazed out the windows at the bright sky. She wondered what life was going to be like in six months. Would she still be completely amnesic? Would she gain a few memories here and there? Would she beat all odds and get her memory back? Would life seem normal again? Sonny let the thoughts filter in and out of her head, but decided not let them bother her. "So what's for dinner tonight? I'm starving. They were only serving two things today. One was still crawling around in the bin and the other has been served every day since the accident. It's safe to say we didn't eat lunch today."

"Well, I was thinking we could go out to eat for dinner tonight – if you're not too tired," Mrs. Monroe offered.

"Yeah, sure. Where were you thinking?"

"Does pizza sound good? I've been craving it since I got home from my trip." Sonny nodded as they drove into town. When they arrived at the pizza place, Sonny thought she saw a convertible that was similar to Chad's but she figured there had to be a million black convertibles in Hollywood.

The two Monroe females ordered a large pizza and ate the entire thing at the restaurant. Once they thought they were going to explode, Sonny excused herself to use the bathroom. Sonny stared at herself in the mirror as the hot water poured over her hands. She looked tired and worn out. Perhaps her second hospital stay had taken more out of her than she originally thought. She decided she and Tawni would go to the spa on Sunday, their day off, to rejuvenate and freshen up. It would be just what she needed.

Sonny dried her hands and left the bathroom when she saw the familiar, golden hair and snow white smile. "Chad?" Sonny whispered trying to keep her voice down so others would not hear her.

"Sonny," Chad looked up, nervously smiling. He wore sunglasses to try to hide his identity, but it obviously did not work on Sonny.

He looked over his shoulder at a table with a full team of high school female soccer players. He sighed, knowing exactly the sacrifice he was about to make. "Yes, Sonny," he withdrew the sunglasses covering his face. He even seemed to be shouting at her with a smile on his face. "It is me, _Chad Dylan Cooper_! Star of _Mackenzie Falls_. What can _Chad Dylan Cooper_ do for you?"

Sonny stared at him thinking he had gone crazy. "Well, I wanted to talk with you about today. I really wanted to talk about…"

"Chad Dylan Cooper?!" the whole soccer team stood and stared, pointing at their idol.

Chad quickly pushed Sonny away from the stampede.

"We'll have to talk another time, Sonny," Chad shrugged uncaringly as he signed multiple objects one after another.

Sonny listened to the girls: "Oh my gosh, Chad, I love you" and "Chad, you are the most talented actor ever" and "Chad, you are my idol."

She finally had enough of listening to the crazed fans and decided to sneak out of the restaurant with her mother before the press arrived and began asking her questions as well.

***

Sonny sat at her home computer, but she was hopelessly bored. Clicking in a few places, she looked at who was online. Reading the list, she saw Tawni, Nico, Zora, Lucy, Grady, and _Chad_. Wait, no. Chad just signed off. That was it. Sonny was finished with this nonsense. She was either completely paranoid and way too clingy to the boy, or something was up.

***

The next morning, Sonny arrived early, because her mother had another early meeting to attend. The sun was only beginning to peak out over the horizon, and the air was still cold enough to make her shiver. Suddenly, a figure caught her eye. "Chad," Sonny called out desperately.

"Sonny," Chad looked up and smiled. "I really want to talk," he began, waving his hands to emphasize his point, "but I am being interviewed by three magazines today – one this morning, one at lunch, and one after filming. I really need to go get cleaned up before they get here."

Sonny sighed. The reporters were all coming at the time she would get to speak to him. It was filming day for _So Random_ too. They got a late start for final rehearsal, a bit of a longer lunch break, and a small dinner break before going live. "Chad, I just want to talk."

"Sonny," Chad tried pulling away. "I can't. I really have to go. It's an important day."

"Well can't we talk while you're getting groomed?" Sonny begged. She did not know why he was avoiding her so religiously.

"Sonny, I'm sorry. I really have to go. Maybe we can chat later today," Chad offered, even though both he and Sonny knew they probably weren't going to see one another again that day.

"Okay," Sonny shrugged again and turned to leave. She was not going to wait for Chad to walk off. She was not going to be the one who stood there watching the one they wanted walk away without turning back.

***

"So will you be walking out on stage with us to say goodnight?" Marshall asked when it was only the two of them at Studio Three. Sonny was helping Marshall set up the stage for the final sketch. Over time, he had figured out that if they rehearsed the scenes in backwards sequence, the first sketch's props would be laid out exactly how it needed to be, while the other sketches' props would be waiting in the order they needed.

"Probably. I want to see what it's like on stage before next week," Sonny decided.

"Good idea. I know everyone will be really happy your back. You know it's been four weeks, just about a month."

"I can't believe it, but I can. It has been the longest month of my life. Not that I can remember any other months," Sonny joked. Marshall laughed and continued to set the stage as a few others wandered in.

"It's going to be a good show tonight," Zora made her entrance. "I can smell it!"

"Marshall, good news!" Nico floated in next. "I found my lucky sock this morning. It went missing after the last show Sonny was in. Things just haven't been the same on stage without it. But I found it; tonight's going to be awesome!" Nico raised his voice to a feminine octave.

"Where did you find it? Your laundry?" Marshall asked jokingly, but only shook his head when Nico nodded.

"Guess who made cover of _Hot News Weekly_?" Tawni entered holding the magazine with her face, the size of a grapefruit, printed across the front. "We always have good shows when I make press.

"Nico!' Grady practically tripped running to the stage. "Look what I found on the sidewalk."

Nico looked at the two shiny objects Grady held in his hands, "Two lucky pennies, both from 2000, the year _So Random_ began!"

"Yeah, and get this, they were both heads up! I'm looking forward to tonight."

"Now, now kids," Marshall pulled everyone into a semi-huddle. "You know I don't agree with all of your silly superstitions…except when they're good. So let's get through quick rehearsal today and make tonight's show one of the very best we've had yet."

Sonny wished she had been able to bring a good omen to the cast. All she had under her belt for the morning was being blown off by Chad Dylan Cooper.

***

Sonny sat at the lunch table with the rest of _So Random_ when Chad strolled through with a camera man and reporter following closely on his tail. For a second, Chad's eyes caught Sonny's and a pang of guilt hit him, but the reporter quickly called him back to attention with another question. Sonny watched as Chad flashed his smile whenever possible and sweet talk the reporter. At first she thought the sight of it made her sick, but then she thought it made her sad. Finally, Sonny came to the conclusion that she felt jealous. Chad was paying so much attention to everyone else in the world – attention that had been focused purely on her for the last month. She knew she had to speak to him _that_ day, but she could not pinpoint an exact time.

"So you're coming on stage with us then?" Nico asked Sonny.

"I think I will. Did Mr. Pike explain to you all that I will be rejoining the show next week?" Sonny looked around the table.

"Yes, and it's about time," Tawni spoke first. "I was this close," she pinched her fingers together, "to pulling Grady into the 'Check-It-Out Girls' sketch."

"So I'm not good enough to be the other Check-It-Out Girl?" Nico crossed his arms.

"And why couldn't you use an actual _girl_?" Zora forced the point. Sonny giggled discreetly.

"My point is," Tawni grit her teeth, ordering everyone to stop the accusations, "we're glad you're coming back, Sonny." The cast looked strangely at Tawni. "What? Can't I be happy for someone?" They continued to stare her down. "Look, I'm just happy she's back for the 'Check-It-Out Girls.' Once that sketch is over, Sonny, you can go bang your head against anything you want." Everyone relaxed a bit, now that Tawni was normal again, and continued their quiet conversation.

***

"Good evening, and welcome to _So Random_," a voice came over the speaker. The audience was cheering louder than Sonny had heard in the previous three shows and the excitement in the air seemed contagious. Marshall sat on his seat next to her with a huge smile on his face. Sonny could only think that this was the last show she would be watching from the sidelines. The longer and harder she thought about being on stage, the more eager she was to hop up and join her friends.

Sonny looked down at her wristwatch in the middle of a sketch, and suddenly realized Chad was probably alone and not busy. She made a quick decision, one she would be forever thankful for.

"Mr. Pike," she nudged him as the show broke for commercial. "Can I go on a small walk? There is something I need to take care of. I promise I will be back before we say goodbye."

"Just promise you won't get lost," Marshall bargained.

"I promise," Sonny rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. She quickly hopped off of her chair and ran away to Studio Two. It was not too hard for her to find any longer. Chad had drug her back and forth between the two studios a couple of times.

Just as she suspected, Chad was sitting in his dressing room, awaiting the arrival of his next interviewer. He was staring at the mirror, primping himself so he looked flawless, even after a hard day of filming.

"Chad," Sonny said firmly.

Chad almost leapt out of his chair when she spoke. "Sonny, don't scare me like that. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at _So Random_?"

"I need to talk with you."

"Sonny, I have someone coming to interview me in about twenty minutes. I need to prepare."

"No." Sonny said sternly. "I need to talk with you_ now_."

"Fine," Chad finally surrendered. "What's up?"

"Why are you avoiding me, Chad? Have I done something wrong?"

"Sonny, it's not that."

"Then tell me what it is. I really enjoyed being with you, and I thought you enjoyed it too. You've been acting strange since I left the hospital, since things have begun to return to normal for me." When she finished, Sonny was slowly hit with the realization of why Chad was acting so strange.

"Sonny," Chad put his hand out when he saw she knew.

"That wasn't the real you, was it? It was just a mask. You were treating me differently because of the accident. Weren't you?"

"It's not that simple."

"So tell me, Chad. You obviously understand it well enough. I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"Sonny, you _can't_ understand because you just _don't_ know."

"Look, Chad, just because I hit my head, doesn't mean I'm dumb. Stop treating me like I am. You know, call me crazy, but the night of the pool party, I swear I was getting another memory." Chad shifted restlessly in his seat. "I thought that right before the accident, I liked you – and more than a friendship liking. I kind of remember thinking you liked me too. Maybe the light really did cause more damage. Maybe I am dumb."

"Sonny, you're not dumb. But you're right. We're not normally like this. We're normally at one another's throats. And for one month, I thought it would be nice to enjoy a change. But now you're going back to _So Random_, back to being our rivals, and back to our meaningless bickering." Chad stood so he would gain some height on her and be closer.

"Chad, I don't think you really know me. I guess I don't really know you either."

"How can I know you when you don't even know yourself?" Chad questioned. He did not care if he was making sense; he just wanted her to leave before she made him say what he was really feeling.

"I don't know what I was like a month ago, but I do know what I am like now. When I first started telling you I was afraid I was never going to be who I was before, you told me I wasn't that different now. So if I am a similar person to who I was a month ago, and you and I seemed to get along really easily over the past few weeks, I don't understand why you're acting this way now."

"That's just it, Sonny, you _don't_ understand. And I'm not going to lay it out for you. It's true, Sonny Monroe, I do like you. I've liked you since I can remember meeting you. But there are forces outside of our control that would prevent us from being together. So why can't you give it up?" Chad walked closer to her, finishing the distance between them.

"You're not even going to try? And you've been avoiding me like the plague because you're afraid we're not fated to be together? Last I heard, you weren't the kind of guy who dates girls he's truly in love with."

"That's exactly what I am talking about. You and I are not right for one another. I'm sorry if I've misled you all month. Now that you understand, just go."

"No, Chad, I still don't understand. I really like you, Chad Dylan Cooper. You make me feel safe, happy, and comfortable – everything no one else could make me feel. I just endured the hardest month I can imagine I have ever lived through. It was all raw emotion. I hid nothing because I had nothing to hide behind. I stuck so close to you, because you were the only one I felt good around. There were so many nights I could sleep soundly because I knew I would get to see you again in the morning. I never wanted to leave your side. Please don't make me now."

Sonny and Chad stared deep into one another's eyes. He could see everything she was trying to say simply by looking into hers and she could see the struggle in his. Sometime during their endless staring, their hands linked together.

Unsure of who initiated the hand holding, Chad's heart began racing. She was so beautiful and her pure innocence stood out more than anything else in the whole room. For once in Chad's life, he was unsure of what to do, but when he saw a tear beginning to form in her tiny brown eye, he did the simplest thing he could think of – follow his instincts.

Without further hesitation, Chad leaned down and lightly touched his lips with Sonny's. In that brief moment of bliss, he thought everything was going to be all right between him, but then Sonny pushed him away, stumbling back herself.

"Chad?" she stuttered putting her hand to her lips where he had just been. "I can't believe you!" Sonny darted out of Chad's dressing room as fast as she could, wiping his taste from her lips.


	12. Cloudy

**Whoa, I can't believe I managed to squeeze this out tonight! I really wanted to send it out before I went to Demi Lovato's concert tomorrow :D So excited. Anyways, don't fear, there should still be one more chapter to come after this one. I still love you all!  
Enjoy!!!

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**

Chad cussed under his breath kicking the wall before resting his forearms on it and hiding his face from the rest of the world between his fists.

"Chad," Portlyn entered quietly.

"Portlyn, not now, okay? No, I didn't get that on tape," Chad ripped the pen from his pocket and threw it across the room to Portlyn who caught it in her hands. "Stop bothering me about it. Just let it go."

Portlyn stood quietly for a moment flipping the pen over a few times in her hands. "I didn't know you loved her," she whispered and placed the pen back down on the table before leaving.

Chad looked at the pen, fists clenched tight. He knew he could only do one thing with the film – there was only one thing it was good for now.

***

Sonny held her head in pain as she ran back to the set of _So Random_.

Finding the open stage door first, she ran through, desperate to find a friendly face. She saw Marshall out on the stage in his usual dressy attire. The rest of the cast was standing on the opposite side of him.

"Marshall!" Sonny exclaimed. She ran out onto the stage and gave him a big hug.

"Hey kiddo, you're late, wait." Marshall pulled her away and apprehensively inspected her. "Did you just call me Marshall?"

"Yes, that is your name, isn't it?" Sonny stared strangely back at him.

"You're back!" Marshall exclaimed pulling her into another hug. Suddenly, the entire audience roared with applause and cheers. Sonny looked up at the crowd and her jaw dropped.

"We're…filming now. Aren't we?" she waved softly at her fans, some who were still wearing the 'Safety for Sonny' shirts. "Do you have any aspirin?" Sonny held her head in pain.

"I'll get you some after we close. Would you like to say goodnight?" Marshall whispered.

By now, the whole audience was chanting Sonny's name. The crewmen did their best to quiet the crowd down, but the only thing that worked was Sonny's voice. "Hello, um, thank you for coming out to view _So Random _tonight. This has been a really hard month for me, but when I see what great fans we have and what great friends I have," Sonny pulled her cast mates into a hug, "I remember that there is still good in the world. _So Random_ would be nothing without all of you. Thank you, drive safely, and have a great night."

***

"All right, so I called your doctor," Connie paced back and forth in the _So Random_ prop room. "He's on his way. What happened? What made you remember?"

Sonny was seated in the middle of the sofa with Tawni to her left, Zora to her right, and the boys hovering over them. Marshall was pacing around the room as well in the opposite direction from Mrs. Monroe. "Well," Sonny thought back. Her headache was raging, and she could not remember everything from the previous month clearly. It was more like looking back into a cloud. "I was with Chad and then he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Mrs. Monroe raged.

"Yes, he was all over me, too. It was disgusting!" Sonny cringed. "He kissed me because…" she faded off. "Oh…my…gosh."

"What?" Everyone shouted at once.

"I made a huge mistake, I need to find him." Sonny stood from the sofa but was quickly yanked back down by Zora and Tawni.

Connie walked over and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Sweetie, Dr. Chris gave me strict instructions that you needed to be seated until he comes. He wanted you to lie down, but I convinced him sitting was fine. Apparently, we need to worry about the impact of all your memories coming at once on your brain. So just relax, there will be time to go back and speak with Chad tomorrow."

"But, mom, you don't understand, I really need to speak with him."

"No. Sonny, you're staying here."

***

Dr. Chris had told Sonny to get a full night's sleep and to make an appointment for the next morning to reevaluate her success. He had said never in his thirty years of practicing, had someone ever made a full recovery as she had appeared to. But as Sonny lay in her bed, she found she could not fall asleep. The thought of Chad's lips against hers would not escape her thoughts. She could only imagine his head pressing against hers and hers against his. She could not believe she would submit to that from _Chad Dylan Cooper_, even though she knew what he had done for her and what she had said to him previously.

The more she rolled around in bed, trying to find a position that would allow her to doze off, the hotter the temperature in her room felt. When she finally had enough of the overwhelming heat, she stood slowly and walked over to the window to allow some fresh air in. Once the window was opened, she sat on the ledge for a moment, holding her head. The cold air seemed to help the pain, but she was still a bit dizzy. Dr. Chris had forbidden her to take any medication which would block the pain. Although no one wanted her to be suffering, the most important thing was to get her through the night with her memories still intact in the morning.

Sitting upon the ledge, she heard soft footsteps out on the street. Squinting, she saw a person passing by. She knew who it was immediately, and taking a step of faith, called out his name.

"Chad," she whispered harshly, trying not to awake her mother. Chad looked up, shook his head, and continued walking. "Chad!" She said with a bit more force but still in a whisper. Before Chad could respond, he saw Sonny crawling over the edge of her windowsill and slowly descending down the vine posts to where he was at.

Chad's head told him to just keep walking, but his heart forced him to stay to make sure she finished unharmed. Even he knew it was unsafe for Sonny to be doing this in her state of mind.

"What do you want, Monroe?" He growled once she touched the ground.

"Look, I need to tell you something," she stepped closer to him.

"Yeah, I guess I do need to tell you something, too," he loosened staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry," they said to one another in unison.

"What? Why are you sorry?" Sonny looked at him shocked.

"I'm sorry I was avoiding you all day yesterday and then today, and I'm sorry I made it so hard for you to talk with me. And I'm sorry for making it look like I was taking advantage of you back there. You have to know I would never have kissed you if I didn't think you wanted it too."

"I know, Chad," Sonny assured. "And that's where my apology comes in. My doctor said," Sonny rolled her eyes to make it look like a forced apology, "that I should probably go back to whomever I was with when I regained my memory and say I was sorry for my reaction. Apparently, when memories come back all at once, the amnesiac is like to get either incredibly violent or incredibly angry."

"Well," Chad smirked, "I should consider myself lucky that you didn't get violent then. I might not be standing here right now."

Sonny looked back at her house for a moment to make sure her mom did not know she was gone. "I do need you to answer something for me, though." Chad agreed. "Why did you befriend me? I need to know what you were up to."

"Sonny, I'm hurt."

"Chad, seriously. I know you. What was your reason for being so nice to me?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Chad felt the pen in his jeans. Sonny nodded hesitantly. "You have a computer in your room, right?" Sonny nodded again. Chad signaled for her to climb back up the vine wall into her room. He waited for her to go first so he could catch her if anything when wrong. As he finished his own ascent, he groaned. "This was so much easier when Mackenzie had to do it. Of course, I was hooked up to a rope system which did over half the work."

Sonny pointed to her computer and watched nervously as Chad inserted the memory card and the media player appeared on the screen. She watched in shock as the clips of the horrible past month played on the screen. She saw herself crying, humiliated, scared, desperate, and in trouble. Some of her biggest fears were spoken from her own mouth, perfectly caught on tape by Chad's hidden camera. She looked like a fool.

"So, this is what the great Chad Dylan Cooper thinks is fair game. I think you need to leave," Sonny determined.

"Sonny, wait. Before you make me leave, at least give me a moment to explain. I think you owe it to me."

"Owe it to you? Do you not understand what you did to me?" Sonny wanted to lash out at him with everything she had, but her headache could not withstand shouting and she did not want to risk getting her mother intertwined with this.  
"Sonny, please."

"Fine, but make it quick."

"When I first found out you lost your memory, I confess, I did think, 'Oh, this is the perfect opportunity to humiliate Monroe and the whole _So Random_ cast.' I was going to blackmail you forever or else I was going to take this video and sell it to every major publisher across America. But it only took me about a day to realize it was _wrong_. Unfortunately, I had told Portlyn about it all, and I couldn't back out of it."

"You poor thing."

"I know, Sonny, I realize I was being a child about it, and I'm sorry. That's why I'm going to do this," Chad pulled the memory card out of the computer and snapped it in half. "Portlyn has another copy, but I will bring it to you tomorrow and break that one for you too."

"How do I know there aren't others?" Sonny battled. "How do I know I can even trust you?"

"Because trust is what you do best, Sonny Monroe. You can read people like open books. So please, just flip the page and see that I am being honest."

"Chad Dylan, you do think I'm dumb, don't you?" Sonny cornered him down with a smile on her face.

"Sonny," Chad sighed. He felt like everything he had just said was a waste. "You know I don't think that."

"No, you think I am so dumb that I am just capable of forgetting everything you put me through? You think I am so dumb that I would be able to see your intentions and just be okay with it? But what's the worst, is that you think I'm so dumb that I would simply forget everything you did for me while I was amnesic and just stay mad at you forever."

"What?" Chad asked confused. Maybe she had been hit in the head a little too hard.

"Chad, even though I can't think a more despicable act someone could commit, I know there were plenty of times we hung out when you did not have that stupid pen in your shirt. Don't think I wasn't aware it was there. I may not have known there was a camera in it, but it was so weird that you always did have that exact pen sitting in your shirt like some huge nerd. So I will believe you if you tell me there is only one other copy out there. Besides, Chad Dylan, if you ever leak any of those things to the press, ever, I'll have to tell them how you eat Lucky Charms every morning so you can save up enough box tops to get the Super Nova Action Figure with mail-in order."

"My mom told you about that?" Chad panicked. Sonny nodded with a devilish smile.

"So don't even think about going anywhere with my secrets," Sonny pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around his back. "Thank you, for everything. I don't know how I would have managed without you." Suddenly, she pulled away from another surge of pain streaming through her head.

Chad led her back to her bed and helped her to crawl in.

"We're going to be okay, right, Chad?" Sonny asked as Chad put his first foot out the window.

"Definitely, Monroe," Chad declared after a moment of concentrating. "We're going to be great."


	13. Epilogue: Payback Is Lovely

**Sadly, all good things must come to an end. I can't tell you how much fun I had writing this and how much I enjoyed the reaction. You guys have made this story exponentially more popular than anything else I have written. Thank you so much! I hope you all enjoyed reading the story, and I especially hope you enjoy this last chapter!

* * *

**

Chad and Sonny walked hand-in-hand a few days later underneath a warm, blue sky. They were walking across the roof-top of Condor Studios – a place the two often retreated to when they needed to get away. Sonny's fingers were laced between Chad's – the only way she would want them.

"So tell me, Monroe. I just need to know one little thing. Unicorns, really?" Chad looked down at her.

"I got the first one from my dad when he left on a mission trip. He was a doctor, and he was going to help out in third-world countries for a couple of weeks. It was with this whole pro bono group he started up. He told me that unicorns had magical powers. That if I ever missed him, all I had to do was hug the stuffed unicorn he gave me, and I wouldn't miss him anymore." Sonny paused for a short moment to recollect her thoughts. "He was shot in the leg when some really desperate men attacked their makeshift hospital. If he was here in the states, he would have been absolutely fine. But there wasn't enough equipment and his wound got infected. By the time they could fly him back to America, we barely had enough time to say goodbye. So, I keep the unicorns, because when I look at them, I don't miss him as much. I admit I may have overdone it in my room a little bit."

"No," Chad laughed. "You're room is perfect." The two stopped in the spot they were at, faced one another, and connected in a kiss – an act that was becoming more and more comfortable between the two each time they touched.

"Ew," Tawni walked over from the ledge of the roof. "Can we please get this over with before the two of you make us all nauseous?"

Chad and Sonny smiled at one another and then at Tawni. "Come here, Tawni," Sonny smiled, trying to pull her into their hug.

"Don't touch me!" Tawni swatted Sonny's hand away. "Come on, Nico and Grady have the tank all set up and Zora has her recipe finished." Sonny and Chad linked their hands together once again and walked to the edge of the roof. Every major paparazzi company was standing directly beneath them, awaiting some 'huge announcement' Sonny and Chad had alerted them all about. Sonny recognized Charlie and Aaron standing amongst the crowd as well. It had taken a little more effort, but together, they were able to convince them that they should be a part of the media group too.

"That smells awful!" Sonny declared as Zora opened the large tank and began pouring a mystery mixture in through a hose. "What did you put in it?"

"Well, the cafeteria was having its biannual renewal of food, and they had a ton of junk that was just going to be thrown out. So, I so generously offered to take it off their hands for them," Zora motioned towards the brown-tinted blend. By now, it was mostly liquid, but there were definitely visible chunks throughout the stew. It was perfect!

"We're ready, Marshall," Nico picked up his walkie-talkie and alerted their director.

The six kids peeked over the ledge as Marshall came out and ordered everyone in a straight line along the building. "Sonny and Chad will be out shortly to speak with you, but we've been ordered by security to keep you all in a single-file line. For safety purposes," Marshall explained. After some reorganization, the press representatives finally made their way into a straight line. "We're set to go," Marshall replied on his radio, hurrying inside to avoid sure disaster.

"Are you ready with the camera, Zora?" Sonny checked – the young girl too small to lift the tank.

"Roger that," Zora positioned the camera in her hand down at the line of paparazzi.

"Okay, one…two…three!" Sonny shouted. Together, the five teens tilted the huge tank of the leftover blend, and one by one, doused everyone who had tried to take advantage of Sonny over the last month.

The actors were all relieved they were safe on the rooftop, because when the reporters and photographers looked up and saw them standing there smiling down on them, they shook their fists and shouted foul threats to them. Some swore they would sue for the damages to their equipment, but when the police were called by a few, Murphy reported he did not see a thing, and Mr. Condor insisted that all of his actors were in rehearsal all morning.

"So, Sonny," Chad pulled her away from the chaos. "Do you still think I'm a conceited jerk?"

"Absolutely, Chad." Sonny fell into his hug. "But you're my conceited jerk, and that's all that matters." She pushed up onto her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the nose.

"That's all I get? I risk my reputation for you and that's all I get?" Chad whined. Sonny nodded. "Fine, then I guess I'll have to take the rest." He caressed her face with his fingers before leaning down and gently kissing her with intense hidden passion, just the way she liked it.

"There's somewhere I need to take you," Sonny abruptly pulled away and yanked Chad's arm. He was not as easy to drag as she was, so Sonny relied on Chad's willingness to follow her anywhere.

"Where are we going, Sonny? We do need to get back to rehearsals eventually."

"Just a little further, Chad," she insisted. She pulled him through the cafeteria, down several hallways, and out to the back of the building.

"The garbage can, Monroe?" Chad looked at her strangely. "The garbage can? Haven't we dealt with enough junk today?"

"Well, we've been on the rooftop _a lot_ recently, and so I wanted to make a new memory. You know, the time Sonny Monroe took Chad Dylan Cooper behind the garbage can? It'll be a classic."

"You Randoms never could do anything original," Chad teased before leaning in for another kiss.

THE END


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